Corrick led the Bulls to a 2-0 win over No. 15 Georgia. Later, UCLA capitalized on opportunities to take run-rule victory
CLEARWATER, Fla., Feb. 16, 2020 – The University of South Florida softball team defeated No. 15/15 Georgia, 2-0, to start the day, but faltered against reigning national champions No. 3/2 UCLA, 15-2, to split the decisions on the last day of the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.
Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) led the way in USF’s (2-7) shutout win against Georgia (8-3) on Sunday morning. The junior pitched seven innings of three-hit softball while also hitting a two-run shot to left field to give the Bulls their second consecutive victory over a ranked opponent.
USF 2, No. 15/15 Georgia 0 (Morning)
Corrick and Mary Wilson Avant battled in a pitching duel for nearly the entire game. Through three innings, USF and Georgia each only had one hit apiece.
In the fourth, Corrick kept dealing, striking out the side to keep the score tied at zero. Both offenses put runners on base in the fifth. In its half of the inning, USF put runners on first and second with only one out but couldn’t bring them around to score. The Bulldogs advanced a runner all the way to third in their half of the fifth, but Corrick retired the next three batters as the duel continued.
Corrick would be the one to break the stalemate in the seventh. Bethaney Keen (Bradenton, Fla.) drew a walk to begin the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.). Corrick pinch hit in the next spot and sent a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left field for her first career home run to give USF a 2-0 lead.
Corrick continued to pitch in the bottom of the seventh and sat down the side in order to clinch the three-hit complete-game shutout victory.
No. 3/2 UCLA 15, USF 2 (Afternoon)
The reigning national champions in UCLA (10-0) wasted no time making the most of opportunities against the Bulls. The Bruins jumped out to 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a grand slam from Maya Brady.
USF got on the board in the third, with Megan Pierro (Lutz, Fla.) driving home AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) with a sacrifice fly. The Bruins added two more in the fourth to extend its lead to 6-1.
Hartman used an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the fifth to cut UCLA’s lead back down to four, but UCLA plated nine runs in the top of the sixth to earn the victory.
Quotable
Coach on the team’s 2-3 record against five ranked opponents this weekend…
“It was great to see our team come out and grind through another weekend against great competition. We will be able to reflect on a lot from these first nine games and will be better because of them down the road.”
Notables
- Corrick tossed her first shutout of the year in the win over the Bulldogs. It was also her first shutout since the AAC Quarterfinals on May 9 against Memphis.
- Natalie Zweig (Tampa, Fla.) had her first collegiate at-bat and hit against UCLA.
- Corrick threw nine strikeouts against Georgia. It tied her season-high, which she set against Michigan on Feb. 9.
- Bailee Leistl (Valrico, Fla.) earned her first start against the Bruins on Sunday afternoon.
- Hartman’s inside-the-park home run was her second home run of the weekend. She also hit the game-winning home run against Texas Tech on Saturday.
- Bruni has a ten-game hit streak, dating back to May 18, 2019 in the NCAA tournament regionals against South Carolina.
Up Next
USF hosts the USF Invitational, starting on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. game against FIU. Over the course of the weekend, the Bulls will play FIU and Tennessee twice each. On Saturday, South Florida takes on Tennessee at 2 p.m. and FIU at 4:30 p.m. The Bulls close out the weekend on Sunday with a 11:30 a.m. start against Tennessee.
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 –
