USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com
DATE: March 13, 2019
USF (19-10) will take on Purdue on Thursday at 5 p.m. and host Minnesota, Butler and FAMU in the USF-Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational over the weekend.
TAMPA, March 13, 2019 – USF will finish out a seven-game week with Purdue on Thursday and the USF-Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational this weekend. USF will play on Friday and Sunday against No. 21/21 Minnesota, Butler and FAMU.
The Bulls will host Purdue at 5 p.m. on Thursday, and face Minnesota and Butler starting at 2 p.m. on Friday. USF will take on FAMU and Minnesota on Sunday starting at 2 p.m. Fans can come early for Thursday’s “Pie Day” game for a pregame pie eating contest.
USF claimed a pair of shutout wins in its doubleheader against Colgate on Tuesday evening. Senior Nicole Doyle pitched an impressive eight full innings in the second game of the night and one-hit the Raiders with just two walks in the 1-0 victory. Freshman Megan Pierro also stood out in the doubleheader, the only Bull to notch a multi-hit game against Colgate, recording two hits in each game.
Junior AnaMarie Bruni, The American Player of the Week, is on a 10-game hitting streak and has 10 multi-hit games this season. She currently leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally in hits with 34. She also ranks 22nd nationally in stolen bases with 20 out of 23 attempts.
Scouting the Opponents
Purdue (16-7)
The Boilermakers have won 10 of their last 12 games, and FAU recently snapped Purdue’s eight-game winning streak.
Kasey Willhoit leads Purdue’s offense batting .448 with 26 hits this season. She has recorded 17 RBI and 36 total bases with a .621 slugging percentage. Kaitlynn Moody leads the pitching staff with a 2.30 ERA and a 5-2 record in the circle. Moody has pitched 47 innings, three complete games and recorded two shutout victories.
The Boilermakers take on St. Joseph’s on Wednesday before facing the Bulls on Thursday.
USF-Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational
No. 21/21 Minnesota (15-7)
The Gophers visit Tampa after a week in Texas at the Longhorn Invitational where they went 4-1 with two wins over Texas Southern and two wins over Texas.
Partain MaKenna leads the Minnesota offense. She has started all 22 games for the Gophers and is batting .394 (28-for-71) with a .620 slugging percentage. MaKenna has batted in 13 runners and scored 22 runs of her own. She has notched seven doubles, three triples and one home run this season.
In the circle, Amber Fiser has gone 8-5 for Minnesota and boasts a 1.52 ERA. She has pitched 78.1 innings (of the pitching staff’s 140.2 total innings) and has struck out 105 batters this season. Fiser has held opponents to a .167 average and has walked 17 batters.
Butler (8-10)
The Bulldogs recently competed in the Saluki Invitational with a 1-2 record and two games cancelled due to weather. Butler fought to nine innings against Army on Tuesday for a 6-3 win and will take on North Dakota State and Army on Wednesday before facing Minnesota and USF on Friday.
Jenna Foreman is averaging .377 this season with 23 hits, all singles. She has recorded 13 runs and has struck out just twice. She has started all 17 games for Butler.
Alyssa Graves leads the Butler pitching staff with a 3-3 record and a 3.28 ERA. She has two complete games under her belt and 47 total innings pitched for the Bulldogs. Graves has held opponents to a .273 average this season.
FAMU (6-17)
The Rattlers went 2-3 at the FAU softball tournament last weekend with extra-inning wins over Yale, 6-5, and ECU, 7-5. FAMU will take on Purdue, Quinnipiac, Colgate and Providence before taking on the Bulls.
Alexis Day leads the Rattler’s offense batting .328 in 22 appearances for FAMU. She is 21-for-64 with a .453 slugging percentage, she has 29 total bases and is 6-for-6 in stolen bases. Kyaira Brown boasts the best ERA on the pitching staff at 3.00 and holds a 5-6 record. She has appeared in 16 games this season and pitched 84 innings with eight complete games. Brown has limited batters to a .253 record and has struck out 38.
About USF Softball
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
Erin Beck // USF Athletics
Assistant Director of Communications
W Soccer, Softball, M&W Tennis
ebeck@usf.edu // www.gousfbulls.com
