TAMPA, Fla. – Illinois State and USF were scoreless through five innings at the USF-Wilson DeMarini Tournament Thursday, before three runs from the Bulls in the bottom of the sixth inning handed the Redbirds a 3-0 defeat in the 2018 softball season opener at USF Softball Stadium.
"It was a pitcher's duel through five innings and we had several opportunities with runners in scoring position prior to that sixth inning and just could not come up with a run. I thought Sarah (Finck) did a tremendous job and pitched a great ballgame. She did what she needed to do, and now it's up to us to finish the rest of the game. We left nine runners on base and when you have an opportunity to score like that, you have to figure out a way to get them in. It was a great first game, except for that one inning."
ISU starting pitcher Sarah Finck held USF hitless through the first four innings, but was saddled with three earned runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth to come away with the loss. The Redbird offense was limited to just three hits in the game, but ISU had its chances with runners on base throughout the contest.Â
The Redbirds threatened in the first, with a leadoff walk by Shannon Felde and Riley Hale was then hit by a pitch to give ISU two runners on base with no outs. However, USF pitcher Georgina Corrick got out of the jam and kept the game scoreless after the top of the first inning. ISU threatened again in the top of the fourth, after Alyssa Wiebel recorded the first hit for either team in the game with a two-out double to left field and Alex Caliva followed with a base on balls, but once again USF got out of the jam.
In the bottom half of the inning, Kelsey Lay reached on an error but Finck pitched around the leadoff error and kept the Bulls off the scoreboard headed to the fifth inning. USF finally got to Finck in the bottom half of the fifth, as Cassidy Boyle doubled to left field to break up the no-hitter. However, Finck got the strikeout to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
A pair of errors gave the Redbirds some life in the top of the sixth, but once again the runners were stranded and the Bulls escaped without giving ISU the lead. USF broke the game open in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three two-out runs on four hits to take a 3-0 lead headed to the top of the seventh. ISU could not come back though, and fell to the Bulls in the opener.
ISU resumes competition Friday for a doubleheader versus UAB at 1:30 p.m. and No. 2 Florida at 3:45 p.m.
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