Madison Epperson scored the Bulls lone run off her first career home run
TAMPA, Feb. 9, 2020 – The University of South Florida softball team struggled to solve No. 7 Florida’s pitching in a 6-1 loss to close out the USF-Rawlings Invitational.
The Gators (4-1) struck first on Sunday afternoon, scoring on a single in the first inning. Florida would add another in the second after loading the bases to take a 2-0 lead.
Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.), who entered in the second inning, struck out two in the third and used a double play to end the fourth and kept the deficit at two moving into the second half of the game.
Florida brought two more across the plate with a fifth-inning home run from Jordan Roberts. The Bulls responded in the bottom of the sixth with Madison Epperson’s (Tampa, Fla.) first career home run. The solo-shot put USF on the board and shrank Florida’s lead to 3-1.
Megan Pierro (Lutz, Fla.) kept things going in the sixth with a double down the left field line, and Bethaney Keen (Bradenton, Fla.) drew her third walk of the day to put two on for South Florida. Ultimately, the run from Epperson was all the Bulls would get in the sixth.
The Gators added two more runs in the top of the seventh, using some defensive miscues from the Bulls to seal the win for Florida, 6-1.
Quotable
Coach Jessica Moore on the team’s performance opening weekend…
“It’s a tough weekend to walk away from. I thought we gave ourselves some opportunities. We had some really shining moments, but there wasn’t enough of them. They’ve got to figure out how they can come out and not ride the wave.”
Notables
- Keen drew a career-high three walks in the game. The redshirt junior leads the team with a .538 on-base percentage and a 1.316 OPS.
Up Next
USF plays in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, run by ESPN beginning on Thursday, Feb. 13 with a 3:30 p.m. game against Oklahoma State. The Bulls will play five games in four days and all will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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 –
