The junior tossed 18 strikeouts in a 2-1 extra-innings win over Wisconsin, but USF split the second day in the USF Tournament
TAMPA, Fla., March 7, 2020 – The University of South Florida softball team split its results on day two of the USF Tournament. USF defeated Wisconsin, 2-1, in eight innings behind a record-tying effort from Georgina Corrick in strikeouts thrown. In game two, UMass defeated the Bulls, 14-5, in six innings.
Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) threw 18 strikeouts in the win over Wisconsin (RV). She tied the program’s single-game record, set by Erica Nunn against Temple in May 2014. Before this, Corrick’s previous personal best was 16, which she threw against Tulsa on March 22, 2019.
Brooke Leistl (Valrico, Fla.) went 4-for-6 on the day, driving in one run while scoring another. Megan Pierro (Lutz, Fla.) went 2-for-5, scoring two runs and driving in one across the two games.
USF 2, Wisconsin 1
Pitchers kept opposing offenses at bay for most of the game. Wisconsin challenged Corrick on multiple occasions, but the junior defused threats with strikeouts to keep the game scoreless. Corrick struck out batters all afternoon, starting with eight strikeouts through the first three innings.
Ultimately, neither Corrick nor Wisconsin’s Kaitlyn Menz surrendered any runs in regulation, forcing extras. Per tournament rules, starting in the eighth inning, the international tiebreaker rule was used, where each team starts with a runner on second base.
In the top of the eighth, a sacrifice paired with an error gave the Badgers the 1-0 lead. Wisconsin threatened to add more to its total by advancing a runner to third, however Corrick’s 18th strikeout of the game ended the inning before any more runs scored.
USF’s offense found its groove in the bottom of the inning. Starting with Natalie Zweig (Tampa, Fla.) on second, Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.) put the tying run in Zweig on third with a sacrifice bunt. Pierro followed with a walk, putting runners on the corners for USF.
In the next at-bat, Kelsey Lay (West Palm Beach, Fla.) drove home Zweig, while Pierro advanced all the way to third, tying the game and putting the winning run 60 feet away. Dezarae Maldonado (Winter Haven, Fla.) used a walk-off single to score Pierro and give the Bulls a 2-1 victory.
UMass 14, USF 5
While game one was a pitching duel, game two was an offensive showdown. USF got on the board first, with Leistl doubling home AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) in the bottom of the first to give the Bulls an early 1-0 lead.
UMass responded with four runs in the top of the second, and added another in the third to take a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the third, Leistl started USF’s scoring by singling home Bruni, driving in her second run of the game. Then Pierro tripled in the next at-bat, scoring Leistl, and Bethaney Keen (Bradenton, Fla.) followed it up with her third home run of the year to tie the game at 5-5.
The Minutewomen took the lead again in the fourth, driving home a run with a double from Kristina Day. Pitchers kept runs off the board until the sixth, when UMass scored eight runs to earn the 14-5 run-rule victory.
Quotable
Georgina Corrick on throwing 18 strikeouts against Wisconsin…
“It just means that I’m giving my team a shot. They always have my back. They’re the defense behind me. You don’t really notice [records] pitch-by-pitch. You just go out there and compete to give your team the best shot to win and I’m having a lot of fun doing it. You just take it one batter at a time, and usually one pitch at a time. You can’t think too far ahead in these situations because you can get caught up in the largeness and the grandeur of it. It is pitch-by-pitch. I have to decide every single pitch that I’m going to beat that batter with that pitch.”
Notables
- Nicole Bechtel (Harrisburg, Pa.) earned her first collegiate start against UMass.
- Corrick now has sole possession of No. 7 on USF’s all-time wins list. She has 50 wins in her time with the Bulls, moving past Kerin Dull, who pitched for the Bulls from 1992-95.
Up Next
The Bulls close out the USF Tournament on Sunday with an 11:30 a.m. matchup against Iowa State.
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 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
