The University of Tampa softball team is on a roll. The Spartans have won 19 of their last 22 games, and pitcher Devlin Dougherty has been a big part of the team’s success.
Dougherty recorded her third career no-hitter as UT (24-3, 9-3) took two out of three games from the Nova Southeastern Sharks (22-22, 2-7) last weekend. She is the only Spartan to throw multiple no-hitters in her career at UT.
She just missed out on a perfect game on Friday, walking three and striking out eight batters. Dougherty picked the perfect time to throw a no-hitter as Tampa could only muster one run against Sharks’ starter Dani Curon.
“I didn’t really think about the no-hitter until the seventh inning,” Dougherty said. “After I got the first out against their big hitter, I realized I hadn’t given up a hit. It was really exciting.”
Despite the masterful pitching performance the day before, Dougherty said the first game of Saturday’s double header against Nova Southeastern was the most memorable game of her career.
After falling behind 6-0 in the second inning, UT rallied to score seven straight runs to defeat the Sharks 7-6.
“It was a real eye-opener and showed us that we can come back from anything,” Tampa catcher Brandi Blout said. “We showed a lot of unity as a team.”
Tampa scored one run in the second and third innings, before exploding for three runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 6-5. The inning was highlighted by an RBI single from Michelle Horan and a RBI groundout by Kallan Casey. Casey was able to reach base after an errant throw.
After giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings, Dougherty made up for it with a home run in the fifth inning, which tied the game at 6.
Tampa took its first lead of the game in the sixth inning. After a Michelle Horan double and a wild pitch, Samantha Becker drove in the game-winning run with a single up the middle.
Freshman Heather VanLandingham closed the game for UT, throwing three hitless innings to secure the win.
Nova Southeastern ended the Spartans’ seven game winning streak with 5-4 win in the second game of Saturday’s double header. The Sharks used a rally of their own, coming back from a three-run deficit to defeat UT in the series finale.
Down 5-4 in the final inning, UT loaded the bases with no outs but could not send the game into extra innings. A fly out from Krystal Crooks, followed by a strikeout from Blout and a groundout from Katie Davis ended the game.
UT is currently in second place in the conference standings, trailing only Florida Southern. The Moccasins have been dominant in the past, but Tampa has a chance to catch to catch FSC if they continue to play well in the conference.