Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The University of South Florida softball team swept Florida Gulf Coast University on Feb. 12 with a doubleheader at the USF Softball Stadium.
Sophomore utility Alex Wilkes led the Bulls with a program-high seven runs battled in, while pitcher Belle Sardja delivered five hitless innings.
In game one, both teams scored two runs in the opening frame.
An FGCU error put South Florida in scoring position before Wilkes tied the game with a single. The Bulls took a 4-2 lead in the second inning after outfielder Olivia Elliott’s double and another Wilkes RBI. With the game tied at four in the fourth inning, Wilkes smashed a three-run home run over the left-field wall to put the Bulls ahead 7-4.
South Florida sealed the victory with a five-run fifth inning, triggering the run-rule win. Wilkes capped off her dominant performance with her fourth hit of the game, driving in her seventh RBI to tie the program record set by Stephanie Medina in 2011.
Walks from catcher Josie Forman and infielder Alanah Rivera added two more runs before utility Karhys Pierce ended the game with a two-RBI double, marking her second career walk-off hit. Pitcher/utility Payton Dixon earned her third win of the season after pitching 4.1 innings and striking out four, while Sardja closed out the final 0.2 innings to secure her second save.
In game two, South Florida capitalized on an FGCU error in the second inning to take an early lead. Freshman outfield Sam Walz extended the advantage with a two-run single, marking the first RBIs of her collegiate career. The Bulls added another run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by outfield Alexa Galligani, while outfielder Grace Chin recorded her first career hit and later scored by infield DaNia Brooks RBI in the sixth.
Sardja dominated in the circle, holding FGCU to just one hit through six innings. She carried a no-hitter into the fifth and finished with four strikeouts. Dixon closed the game, earning her first save of the season.
Elliott tied her career-high with four runs, while Galligani also matched her personal best with three runs scored. Chin’s hit and Walz’s RBIs marked key firsts in their collegiate careers. Dixon improved to 3-0 on the season, while Sardja moved to 2-0.
