Carter and Epperson hit home runs to lead the Bulls offense in the game
TAMPA, Fla., March 1, 2020 – The University of South Florida softball team dropped the finale of the USF Tournament to Syracuse on Sunday, 7-5. The Bulls battled back-and-forth with SU all game, but a three-run fifth lifted the Orange to victory.
Syracuse challenged the USF’s (10-8) defense and pitching early. The Orange put runners on second and third in the first inning and opened the scoring with a lead-off home run in the second.
The Bulls responded quickly, using defensive miscues to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Kyndall Williams (Trenton, Fla.) scored on a passed ball and Aliyah Carter (Brownsburg, Ill.) came around on an error on the same play to give USF the lead.
The Orange put themselves back in front in the third, bringing two runs home to make the score 3-2. USF tied the game later in the inning, with MadisonEpperson (Tampa, Fla.) hitting her second home run of the season to even the score at 3-3.
Pitching kept runs off the board in the fourth, but Syracuse took the lead again after bringing home three runs in the top of the fifth.
USF cut the deficit by one in the sixth. Bethaney Keen (Bradenton, Fla.) hit a sacrifice fly which drove home Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.) to shrink SU’s lead to 6-4. Syracuse added the run back in the seventh, but a home run from Carter in the bottom of the inning ended the scoring, giving the Orange a 7-5 victory.
Quotable
Coach Jessica Moore on the weekend…
“It wasn’t a bad weekend. Obviously, when you come out with four wins in a weekend, it’s a good one. We need to clean up some stuff. Defensively, we had some miscues that allowed them to push some runners into scoring position or score runners in general. We’ve got to clean up some of the defensive stuff and we’ll go from there.”
Notables
- Hartman hit her first career triple in the game.
- Freshman Vivian Ponn (Fort Myers, Fla.) made her first collegiate start in the circle for the Bulls.
Up Next
The Bulls are back at USF Softball Stadium on Wednesday for a midweek matchup against Detroit Mercy. First pitch is at 6 p.m.
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 –
