TAMPA, Fla. -- The Fairfield University softball team opened their three-day stay at the University of South Florida Tournament with a pair of setbacks on Friday. The Stags started the day with a 7-1 loss to St. John's University and ended with an 8-0 setback in six innings against 25th-ranked South Florida during the afternoon.
The day opened with a 9 am first pitch but the early start did not affect St. John's as the Red Storm posted a first-inning run off a two-out homer from Anese Thompson. Fairfield threatened in the bottom of the inning when Mikayla Rubin spotted the team a one-out single which Kaitlin Campbell followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position with one out. The Stags rallied ended when the next two hitters struck out to keep the one-run deficit intact.
St. John's put together a five-run rally in the top of the second inning by stringing together five hits. After pushing a run across the plate with two outs, the Red Storm placed six straight runners on base, four with hits plus a walk and a hit batter. The team tacked on one more run in the fourth inning by taking advantage of an error that brought home the team's final run.
Fairfield averted the shutout with a run in the sixth inning when Rubin picked up her second single of the game before yielding to pinch runner Ava Cohen. The freshman secured second base on a wild pitch and continued to third base on an error by the catcher. Hoffman sliced a single to left field to chase home Cohen with the Stags run.
In the second game, South Florida scored four runs on just one hit in the second inning, taking advantage of three walks which included a free pass with the bases loaded. Meghan Sheehan provided the key play with her two-run single through the left side of the infield which closed out the scoring. The home team added three more runs in the fourth inning, using a fielder's choice and a single to bring home two of those runs.
Fairfield scratched out one hit in the game, a leadoff single to right field by Megan Forbes in the second inning.Â
The Stags will play a pair of games on Saturday which includes a matchup with Saint Joseph's University at 9 am before playing a second game with South Florida at 2 pm.
