Dominant outings from Corrick and Ponn with home runs from Carter and Pierro give the Bulls the Friday sweep.
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 28, 2020 – The University of South Florida softball team opened up its weekend tournament with two wins in front of a home crowd at the USF Softball Stadium. The Bulls started the day with a 2-0 win over Rutgers and authored a sixth-inning comeback in a 5-4 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) and Vivian Ponn (Fort Myers, Fla.) earned the wins in the pair of victories. Corrick pitched a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts against Rutgers. Ponn came in as relief against the Islanders and pitched 5.1 shutout innings to aid USF’s victory. Brittany Hook (Willow Street, Pa.) also earned the save against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Aliyah Carter (Brownsburg, Ill.) and Megan Pierro (Lutz, Fla.) hit home runs for the Bulls in the two wins. AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) and Kyndall Williams (Trenton, Fla.) also hit triples for the Bulls.
USF 2, Rutgers 0
Both teams challenged early, stranding a total of five runners in the first inning but the game turned into a pitcher’s duel as it progressed. Corrick retired the side in order in the second only faced one over the minimum in the third.
USF took the lead in the fourth. With Williams on base, Carter hit a two-run home run to left field to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead.
Corrick continued to deal following the fourth, only allowing one baserunner in each of the fifth and sixth innings. The Scarlet Knights attempted a comeback in the seventh, with back-to-back singles putting the go-ahead run in the batter’s box, but Corrick would get the next three outs to shut the door and give USF its fifth straight win.
USF 5, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 4
Texas A&M Corpus Christi was quick to apply offensive pressure in USF’s second game. After stranding two in the first, the Islanders loaded the bases in the bottom of the second and a home run from Tiare Lee gave TAMUCC the 4-0 lead.
Ponn came in to finish the second and shut down the Islanders offense. The freshman threw 5.1 innings with only two hits.
USF staged its comeback in the sixth inning. With Brooke Leistl (Valrico, Fla.) and Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.) on base, pinch hitter Pierro took the first pitch she saw and drove it over the outfield fence to cut USF’s deficit to one.
One out later, Williams hit a triple to right field and Meghan Sheehan (Forest Hill, Md.) drove her home with a double to tie the game. Up next, Ponn hit a fly ball to right field that resulted in an error which allowed Sheehan to score to give the Bulls the 5-4 lead.
Ponn came back on and got two outs to start the seventh, but with a runner on second, Hook was brought in to close the game. The sophomore earned the save by striking out the only batter she saw to give USF the victory.
Quotable
Coach Moore on takeaways from the wins…
“Just that our girls will continue to battle. A lot of momentum seemed like it was coming their way. Vivian Ponn did an awesome job keeping us in that game for us to come in, finish out and win that one. The girls coming off the bench right now are ready to go.”
Notables
- Corrick set a new season-high with 12 strikeouts. Her previous season-best was 11 against FIU on Feb. 21.
- Pierro’s home run was the first of her career.
- Carter set a new season-high with 12 putouts against Rutgers.
- Corrick is now tied for No. 6 on USF’s all-time shutouts list with 16 in her career. She’s tied with Traci Dudley, who played for the Bulls from 1988 to 1991.
Up Next
The Bulls continue in the USF Tournament tomorrow morning with a 11:30 a.m. game against Syracuse. After the game, the participating teams will be seeded for a bracket, with the semifinals being played Saturday night and the finals played Sunday morning. USF will play at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday regardless of opponent.
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 –
