SAN ANTONIO — Despite senior Jamie Gilbert twirling 10.1 stellar frames in the circle, the UTSA softball team fell to South Florida, 2-1, in an 11-inning American Athletic Conference marathon at Roadrunner Field on Friday.
The Roadrunners (14-40, 4-21 The American) couldn't outlast the Bulls (33-20, 12-13 The American), as Gilbert (6-17) was tagged with the loss in what represented the second-longest outing in program history. She tossed 177 total pitches across the game, stranding 16 base runners in the process. Meanwhile, Belle Sardja (13-10) picked up the win, throwing 6.1 innings in relief for USF.
At the plate, junior Jaylen Prichard went 3-for-4 with a walk and the squad's lone RBI. Additionally, junior Sophie Campbell, senior Erykah Guerrero, sophomore Madison Lenton, and redshirt freshman Kylie Forney all logged hits for the 'Runners.
Neither team could dent the plate until the bottom of the fifth, where Forney led off the frame with a double off the wall in center field. A junior Camryn Robillard sacrifice followed, ahead of a bloop single for Prichard that handed UTSA a 1-0 advantage. Shortly after, Campbell and Guerrero logged back-to-back singles, loading up the bases with two outs. Sardja, however, induced a strikeout to escape without any further damage.
Gilbert then stranded the bases loaded in the top of the sixth before a solo home run in the seventh knotted the contest, 1-1.
The pitcher's duel raged on until the 11th when the Bulls loaded up the bases and worked a walk to take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Reagan Smith then spun a full-count strikeout to end the inning and keep UTSA within striking distance.
The 'Runners were unable to reach base safely in the home half, as USF secured the extra-innings win. To assist in recovery efforts, the start time of Saturday's contest has been pushed back to 2 p.m., and the teams are scheduled to meet in the series finale on Sunday at noon.
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