USF Softball: A Tough Series Against North Texas

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Coming into this series this was the first time the USF Bulls played the North Texas Mean Green in softball. North Texas is a new member of the AAC. The other opponent that they first played earlier this year was the Oregon State Beavers. The series started on Thursday and ended on Saturday the day before Easter Sunday. The Bulls came into the series with a record of 23-13. They have had some great players pitcher Payton Dixon has a 1.36 ERA and USF is atop the conference with a 2.31 ERA. Olivia Elliot has only struck out twice in her 83 plate appearances. These players are going to help the Bulls move forward.

The USF Bulls won the first game in a shutout 5-0. They held the Mean Green to just four hits. USF had six hits and their runs came in the third, fifth, and sixth innings. Dixon won the game for her 12th victory of 2024. She had five strikeouts and only one walk. The USF offense only had one strikeout and got five walks. Many could see why USF dominated and started the series off with a bang. The attendance was 950 people many will say that is not many, but the softball stadium is not that big. It was 75 degrees and sunny what a great evening and for the USF Bulls fans it’s a fun way to enjoy their evening.

Photo Credit: Bradley Walker NGSC Sports

Game two was a whole different story. This game started terribly for the USF Bulls. North Texas started the game by scoring four runs in the first inning. That made up for scoring no runs in game one. The Bulls got on the board in the second inning narrowing the lead to two at 4-2. The Bulls would score one more in the third to get within one at 4-3. After the fourth inning, the wheels fell off. The Mean Green put up five more runs in the fifth and sixth. Those runs iced the game and the win for North Texas 9-5.

Game three took place on Saturday afternoon. Just like the previous two, it was under glorious weather at least for Florida. This game was a pitcher’s showdown. The first hit for either team did not come too late in the game. Once again Dixon got the start and she did an amazing job. The interesting thing about this start is she kept staring over at the dugout. The fans were unsure why and manager Ken Eriksen continued to cheer her on from the dugout. The Mean Green had Mackenzie Childers who was also outstanding. The game went into extra innings. Neither pitcher left the game the bullpens were never called upon. The Mean Green got two runs in the top of the eighth inning on a double from Kailey Gamble. That would win the game for North Texas 2-0.

This series had everything—two shutouts by each team. The game on Saturday with an attendance of 1050 was the best in the series despite the result. It was like the game was never going to end it was great to watch a pitcher’s duel. Many will say it’s boring when there are not many runs scored. The Bulls were celebrating Rocky the Bull’s birthday and gave out free cupcakes and cake. The USF Bulls have learned from the series they have 16 games left before the AAC tournament happens in Wichita, Kansas. Let’s see what their record is heading into that tournament.

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