CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
TAMPA, Fla. – USF earned its second-straight walk-off win in as many days, this time to carry the top-seeded Bulls into the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship title game with an 8-7 semifinal victory over No. 5 Memphis. The Bulls will meet No. 6 Tulsa in Saturday’s championship contest starting at Noon E.T./11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.


 
Pinch-hitter Samantha Worrell sent an RBI single into right field, scoring Kyndall Williams from second base in the bottom of the seventh to put the final stamp for USF on the offensive back-and-forth.
 
USF’s final pitcher of four on the game, Jojo McGill, earned the win in the final three innings, scattering four hits with one earned run. Macy Cook cranked a three-run homer in the first inning, while Cassidy Boyle and Lauren Evans both generated multi-hit games.
 
The Tigers were led by Kyler Trosclair Klatt at the plate with a 3-for-4, one RBI outing. Four other Tigers drove in a run on the contest, and Mariah Nichols tossed 6.1 innings with six hits and three earned runs.
 
Both teams’ bats were working early and often on the afternoon. Memphis got off to a quick start, with three singles and a fielder’s choice plating two runs to open the game. Following back-to-back singles, Ashley Threatt earned the RBI to round lead-off hitter Trosclair Klatt before a fielder’s choice dropped by Brooke Lee was enough to score Delaney Smith.
 
The lead would be short-lived, as USF stepped in to post four runs in the bottom half. Lindsey Devitt doubled following a lead-off single by Evans, and Evans became the first blemish on an RBI single up the middle by Brooke Hartman. The next batter, Cook, then cleared the bases with a no-doubt home run to left field.
 
The Bulls threatened with runners on first and second, but relief pitcher Mariah Nichols was able to escape the frame without any more runs on a tight fielding play by Trosclair Klatt.
 
Momentum shifted back toward the Tigers in the top of the fourth with four runs on four hits, with the help of a fielding error and wild pitch by the Bulls, but a Devitt fielder’s choice got one back for the Bulls to make the score 6-5 in favor of Memphis.
 
Memphis put down yet another RBI single to start the fifth, but USF drew the game even in the bottom half. Boyle started the scoring with a solo home run to left, and Evans rose to the occasion again to round AnaMarie Bruni from second.
 
For full coverage of the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship, visit TheAmerican.org/Softball and follow @American_SBall on Twitter.
 
 
2018 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship
USF Softball Stadium – Tampa, Fla.
 
Quarterfinals – Thursday, May 10
American Digital Network
Game 1: No. 6 Tulsa 3, No. 3 Wichita State 1
Game -2: No. 2 Houston 3, No. 7 ECU 1
Game 3: No. 5 Memphis 3, No. 4 UCF 0
Game 4: No. 1 USF 2, No. 8 UConn 1 (12 inn.)
 
Semifinals – Friday, May 11
American Digital Network
Game 5: No. 6 Tulsa 7, No. 2 Houston 3
Game 6: No. 1 USF 8, No. 5 Memphis 7
 
Championship – Saturday, May 12
ESPN2
Game 7: No. 1 USF vs. No. 6 Tulsa – Noon ET/11 a.m. CT