C-USA Softball in the NCAA Championship - May 22

Leigh Ann Ellis

USF put together a late rally in the top of the seventh inning against Oregon on Saturday night, but fell short to the Ducks, 2-1, for the second time in the Tallahassee, Fla. regional. It marked the second loss for the Bulls and the last C-USA team to be eliminated from the NCAA Championship. DePaul was eliminated from the Ann Arbor regional after a 4-0 loss to Tennessee earlier in the day.

USF 7, Cal St. Northridge 3

The USF softball team teased fate Saturday afternoon and squeezed out a come-from-behind win to keep its College World Series hopes alive with a 7-3 victory over Cal State Northridge in the NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee, Fla.

Trailing 3-2 going into the seventh inning, the Bulls used three hits to put up five runs while sitting on two outs to push themselves past the Matadors.

Kattrina Dowd led the way for the Bulls with a perfect 3-for-3 effort, including an RBI and two runs, while Sarah Watson finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.

The Bulls now face Oregon, who handed them their first loss of the regionals yesterday in a 12-0 run-ruled game, the worst loss in the history of the USF softball program.

Tennessee 4, DePaul 0

The No. 5 seeded DePaul University softball team was eliminated from the NCAA Championship, after falling to No. 2 seeded Tennessee, 4-0, at Alumni Field Saturday evening. The Blue Demons finished the season 30-31-1. Tennessee will play UIC later Saturday evening in the losers’ bracket.

Tennessee’s Angela Brewer knocked a three-run home run off DePaul starter, Sarah Martz, to start the first. Martz struck out two, but gave up two hits and the Blue Demons committed a throwing error to allowing the first batter to get on base.

Tennessee loaded the bases and added another run in the top of the fourth inning, Amber Rhinehart doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mandie Fishback.

Saskia Roberson registered the Blue Demons first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, singling down the left field line. Evans running for Roberson was left stranded at first as the next two batters were retired.

In the top of the seventh, Tennessee’s Sarah Fekete singled to shortstop and advanced to third on an error by DePaul shortstop, Sara Bandauki. Fekete trying to score, was thrown out at the plate by the combined efforts of left fielder Dana Kenney, second baseman Christina Douglas and catcher Sara Polensky.

Christina Douglas doubled to right field to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but was left on base path as the next two Blue Demons were retired.

Tennessee freshman hurler, Monica Abbott (45-9), recorded the win, striking out 10, and allowed only two hits. Martz (24-16) recorded the loss, striking out seven.

The Blue Demons are now, 20-16, overall in ten NCAA Regional appearances.


Oregon 2, USF 1

The University of Oregon softball team defeated No. 3 seed USF for the second time in as many days to stay alive and advance to the championship game versus No. 1 seed Florida State Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT in Tallahassee, Fla. After losing to Florida State earlier in the day, Oregon returned to beat the Bulls 2-1 and eliminate them from the tournament. With the win, Oregon improves to 41-20 this season and 3-1 at the tournament. USF finishes the season 60-14.

Junior pitcher Ani Nyhus (24-12) improved to 3-0 at the regional while USF pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis (43-8) took the loss – her second against Oregon. Nyhus had nine strikeouts in the game and walked two.

Oregon opened its second game versus the Bulls the same way it did the first – putting runs on the board in the first inning. Sophomore Beth Boskovich led off the inning with a single and junior Ashley Richards then hit a one-out single to put runners at first and second. Senior catcher Jenn Poore drove in both runners with an RBI double off the center field fence as Oregon led 2-0 after the first.

USF fought back in the seventh after a leadoff walk to first baseman Carmela Liwag followed by a single by Holly Groves put runners at first and second with no outs. Shortstop Christie Chapman then advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and Liwag scored on an RBI by Tiffany Stewart. That was as close as the Bulls got, however, after two consecutive groundouts ended the game.

In the first meeting Saturday, Oregon handed the Bulls their worst loss in school history, 12-0.