TAMPA, Fla., Apr. 17, 2021 – The University of South Florida softball team split its doubleheader against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, earning a 6-0 win in game one but falling 5-2 in game two.
Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) earned the win in game one, recording her 14th win of the season with a one-hit, complete-game shutout. Bethaney Keen (Bradenton, Fla.) finished the pair of games going 5-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and a run. AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) scored three runs and stole three bases in the doubleheader.
Game One – USF 6, FGCU 0
USF started its scoring in the third, with Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.) driving home Bruni and Alexis Johns (Sarasota, Fla.) to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead. Josie Foreman (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Kyndall Williams (Trenton, Fla.) each drove home a run later in the inning, expanding USF’s lead to 4-0 after three.
USF added two more runs in the fourth. Johns scored off defensive errors by FGCU, while Bruni was driven home off a sac-fly from Hartman.
Corrick tossed 13 strikeouts in the contest, facing only two batters over the minimum in the game. She is now 14-4 on the year.
Game Two – FGCU 5, USF 2
USF struck first again in game two. Nicole Bechtel (Harrisburg, Pa.) drove home Emilee Hanlon (Dunkirk, N.Y.) to put USF ahead 1-0 after two innings.
FGCU took a 4-1 lead in the top of the fourth on the strength of a four-run inning. While USF threatened the Eagles’ lead in the fourth, fifth and sixth, FGCU ultimately added another run in the top of the seventh to increase its lead to 5-1.
USF attempted to complete its comeback in the seventh, as Keen doubled home a run which put runners on second and third, but a fly-out to left field ended the Bulls rally, securing the win for FGCU.
Notables
- With her three steals on the day, Bruni now sits at 89 in her career. She’s 15 away from the No. 1 spot, held by Shelly Riker (2001-04). She would need to average 1.15 stolen bases per game for the rest of the year to tie the mark. She’s five stolen bases away from tying the single season record also set by Riker in 2002 and tied by Bruni in 2019.
- Corrick has thrown 200 strikeouts this season, which places 10th on USF’s single-season list. She’s tallied 751 in her career, 352 behind USF’s all-time leader Sara Nevins (2011-14).
- Corrick has tied Nevin’s mark of 27 career shutouts, which is fourth on USF’s all-time list. She now has sole possession of No. 2 on the conference’s all-time shutouts list and No. 3 on the AAC’s victories list with 66 in her career.
Quotable
Head coach Ken Eriksen on today’s games…
“We played a very hard two games today. Sometimes the scoreboard lies and sometimes it doesn’t. Today was one of those deals where it was a good two games that USF and FGCU played. Both teams could’ve ended up 2-0, both teams could’ve ended up 0-2. We ended up 1-1 and let’s get back tomorrow to see who wins the series.”
Up Next
The Bulls will wrap up the weekend series against FGCU tomorrow at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Due to virus mitigation measures and the size of the venue, USF will have limited fan attendance via team pass list only at USF Softball Stadium.
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 –
