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It’s starting to look like USF softball has found their groove under interim head coach Jessica Moore as the Bulls used a walk-off home run from SS Kyndall Williams to beat No. 12/18 Tennessee, then followed that up with a walk-off single from Brooke “Hitwoman” Hartman.
Game 1: Corrick Deals, Kyndall Williams Calls Game in 2-1 win over Tennessee
Junior ace Georgina Corrick scattered five hits, and allowed just one run on a solo home run in the third inning over seven innings as the Bulls downed the Vols on a walk-off from light hitting SS Kyndall Williams in the bottom of the 7th.
“I played loose, I tried to hit the ball as hard as I could,” Williams said. “It was an awesome feeling. It still doesn’t feel real...It’s been a minute [since I hit a home run]. I haven’t hit an oppo home run since I was like 12.”
The Bulls never really threatened until the final inning, but they made it count. Brooke Hartman beat out the throw for an infield single. Jordyn Kadlub pinch ran, and stole second. Two batters later, Williams hits the game-winning HR.
Tennessee may never want to come back to Florida after the weekend they’ve had. The Vols got run-ruled twice by Reedy Creek, then followed that up with this painful setback.
USF faces Tennessee again tomorrow in their final game of the weekend.
Game 2: USF capitalizes on silly errors by FIU, wins 5-4 in extras
HCC transfer AJ Carter, and Brooke Hartman helped complete the comeback for the Bulls after the FIU Panthers took a 4-2 in the fourth inning.
After scoring two runs in the first two innings, the Bulls allowed FIU to tie the game in the third on a two-run HR, then the Panthers scratched across two more in the fourth as the Bulls’ bat went silent until the sixth inning
After Kelsey Lay struck out to open the sixth, Carter had a 12-pitch at-bat as she fouled off six pitches to stay alive before depositing the 12th pitch of the AB over the left field fence to cut the Panthers lead to one. The Bulls loaded the bases with one out, but could not get another run in.
The Panthers seemingly scored their fifth run of the game on a sac fly in the top of seventh, but after a heady play to check if the runner left early, it was deemed that she did, and resulted in a double play to end the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Bulls used two boneheaded plays by the FIU catcher to advance the runner to third before a brutal pick-off attempt at third saw the ball bound away from the FIU 3B and allowed Kadlub to scamper home for the game-tying run.
In extras, Corrick was called upon with two outs and two on and with one pitch ended the FIU threat. USF responded by loading the bases before Hartman’s single scored the game-winning run.