Three South Florida pitchers combined on a no-hitter to spoil a briliant pitching performance from junior Joanna Kralowetz (Mt. Airy, MD/Linganore - pictured) as the host Bulls emerged with a 1-0 win in 10 innings over Hofstra on Friday evening at the USF/Louisville Slugger Invitational.
The loss drops Hofstra's record to 4-3 on the young season, while South Florida improves to 7-3. Hofstra had also won its previous seven extra-inning games, including 6-0 last year and 1-0 so far this year (a 3-2, eight-inning win over Mississippi on Monday).
Kralowetz made her third career start and scattered six hits while walking two (one intentional). She was not charged with a run, as the South Florida run came home as a result of the international tiebreaker rule, with a runner placed on second at the start of each extra inning. Alison Savarese laid down a sacrifice bunt to move winning pitcher Courtney Mosch to third to start the tenth, and Aya Nakajima followed with a sacrifice fly to center to end the game.
Hofstra was unable to sacrifice the placed runner over to third in the eighth or ninth inning, before senior shortstop Pam Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH) was able to hit a grounder the opposite way leading off the top of the tenth inning to move junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY) to third. However, junior catcher Carolann Lubach (Langley, WA) grounded to third base, and freshman designated player Trisha Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH) hit a comebacker to the circle to end the inning.
Kralowetz got some help from her defense in the ninth inning to keep the game scoreless. After a bunt single put runners on first and third, Kralowetz allowed an intentional walk to load the bases. She induced a flyout to right for the first out, and Mosch followed with a lineout to senior third baseman Genevieve Haney (Levittown, PA) who doubled the runner off of third for a double play to end the inning.
Cristi Ecks started the game for South Florida and allowed just one walk in four innings while striking out five. Capri Catalano came on in relief and threw the next four innings, allowing two walks and striking out five, while Mosch struck out the side in the ninth before getting three ground balls in the tenth for the win.
Kralowetz did not allow a run in her first 16 innings this season, and has not been charged with a run in 16.2 innings this season, after the sacrifice fly allowed the placed runner to score in the 10th (which is officially scored as a team unearned run). Hofstra also had not allowed a run in its first 16 innings at the Louisville Slugger Invitational after freshman Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, PA) began Friday's play by shutting out Georgia Tech in seven innings.
Hofstra will next be in action on the second day of the Louisville Slugger Invitational on Saturday, when it meets South Carolina and Wright State.
