No. 2 South Florida Defeats No. 6 East Carolina in Semifinals of American Softball Championship

TAMPA, Fla. – No. 2 South Florida defeated No. 6 East Carolina in the semifinals of the American Softball Championship on Friday, 3-1.

It marks the first time since 2022 that the Bulls will advance to the championship. They are set to play No. 4 North Texas tomorrow at noon ET on ESPN2.

The Pirates wasted no time getting on the board, as Emma Jackson took the third pitch over the right field wall for a leadoff home run. It was Jackson’s third home run of the tournament.

The Bulls used a hit-by-pitch and walk to put a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the second before Dania Brooks singled up the middle to score the game-tying run.

A leadoff triple from Alexa Galligani in the bottom of the third, followed by a single past third base from Alex Wilkes gave South Florida the lead, 2-1.

The Bulls added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Olivia Elliott singled through the right side of the infield to score Brooks from second base.

Belle Dardja (15-4) earned the win for the Bulls, tossing the final 3.1 scoreless innings. Payton Dixon (ND) started in the circle for South Florida, allowing one run in 3.2 innings of work.

2025 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship

May 7-10, 2025

USF Softball Stadium | Tampa, Florida

Wednesday, May 7 | First and Second Round

Game 1: No. 8 Tulsa 1, No. 9 UTSA 0

Box Score | Highlights | Recap

Game 2: No. 10 Memphis 6, No. 7 UAB 5

Box Score | Highlights | Recap

Game 3: No. 5 Wichita State 5, No. 8 Tulsa 2

Box Score | Highlights | Recap

Game 4: No. 6 East Carolina 7, No. 10 Memphis 1

Box Score | Highlights | Recap