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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - Some might see an 0-1 deficit in a best-of-three series as a problem. The USF softball team sees it as an opportunity.
Michelle Lavagnino hit an RBI single in the top of the 11th inning and Hofstra held on in the bottom half behind a strong pitching performance by Olivia Galati to hand the Bulls a 2-1 loss Friday night in the opener of the NCAA Super Regionals series before a record crowd of 1,561 at USF softball stadium.
Game 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday and a USF victory would make it a doubleheader at a venue where the Bulls have gone 29-3 at this season.
"This nice part about it is we have one day left in this tournament. This nice part is you come out, you get hot, you let it roll and the day is over," USF head coach Ken Eriksen said. "I know what they can do. I know what their intent is to do. If you get good tomorrow it's a good feeling at the end of the day."
Eriksen and his players didn't seem down at all after Friday's game because of the masterpiece it turned out to be in the Bulls' first trip to the Super Regionals since 2006.
USF starter Sara Nevins gave up both runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of work while striking out nine batters. Nevins took a break in between while Lindsey Richardson threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings and the junior retired 10 straight batters at one point.
"I think going from Sara to me and back to Sara is a good setup," Richardson said. "I think (Eriksen) likes to go with that type of game plan and I think it works out for the best."
Galati pitched all 11 innings for Hofstra and delivered a four-hit performance with USF scoring its lone run in the third inning. The junior threw 130 pitches and will go again in the second game of the series on Saturday.
"She had good enough stuff to make them hit the routine outs that we were able to get," said Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards, who compared Galati's outing to a bullpen session because the right-hander came in well rested.
Friday's marathon ended as dramatically as it began with both team's pitchers working their way out of jams.
The heat was on Nevins and the Bulls right away with Hofstra swinging away in the top of the first. The Pride grabbed a 1-0 lead with an RBI single by Tessa Ziemba and loaded the bases with two outs. Nevins faced a 3-2 count and painted the inside corner to strike out Courtney Crews looking in what could have been a breakout inning for the Pride.
Nevins got out of the second inning by leaving a runner on second, but the sophomore didn't have much luck in the third when Hofstra put two on with no outs. Eriksen made a switch in the pitcher's circle and Richardson started with a strikeout of Krista Thorn on three straight pitches. Richardson followed with another strikeout and got Erin Trippi to fly out to center field. Hofstra stranded six runners at that point with four in scoring position.
Galati cruised through the first two innings, but the junior ran into trouble in the third against a USF team that plays small ball really well.
Alexis Nowell led off with a single down the line in left field and speedy Courtney Goff came in to pinch run. Ashli Goff put runners on first and second with a bunt single and Gina Kafalas' sac bunt moved them over. The biggest bunt of the inning belonged to Jessica Mouse, who executed the squeeze play perfectly to send Courtney Goff home and tie the game up at 1.
Richardson kept the score tied all the way up to her exit with one on and two out in the sixth. The right-hander retired 10 straight batters at one point and her only blemish was hitting a batter before getting Crews to pop out.
Nevins re-entered the game and moved the Hofstra runner over to second with an illegal pitch. The runner didn't get any further after Nevins struck out Tori Rocha to finish off the top half of the frame.
Nevins worked a scoreless seventh and the Bulls missed out on a chance to walk off in the bottom half of the inning after stranding a runner on second base.
USF wound up playing its longest game of the season and had a chance to win it in the 10th inning when Goff legged out a one-out single that marked the Bulls' first hit since the third inning. Goff was on second after a groundout by Kafalas, but USF missed out on the opportunity when Mouse flied out to deep right field.
Hofstra got its chance with a runner in scoring position and made good on it in the 11th inning. D.J. Slugh led off with a single, advanced to second on Nevins' fifth illegal pitch of the game and moved to third on a sacrifice by Crews. Nevins walked Tori Rocha, who stole second and No. 9 hitter Lavagnino produced the go-ahead run with a single. USF got out of the inning with a double play after the bases were loaded.
"We were just waiting for that timely hit and I was lucky enough to be in that situation," Lavagnino said. "I couldn't be more proud of how our team fought today and really battled."
The Bulls haven't lost consecutive games at home all season and Richardson noted that Friday's loss was "exactly" what USF needed.
"I think our team is exactly where it needs to be right now," she said. "I think this team will come back with such heart, power, drive and aggressiveness tomorrow and today isn't going to matter. We're going to come out and we're going to leave it all on the field. We're just going to get it done in one day."
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