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GREENVILLE, NC\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The South Florida Bulls defeated the East Carolina Pirates 5-1 to win the 2026 American Conference Softball Championship on Saturday afternoon at Joyner Family Softball Stadium. Game 2: No. 7 UTSA 8, No. 10 Memphis 6 | Box Score<\/a><\/p>\n Game 3: No. 5 Charlotte 2, No. 8 Tulsa 0 | Box Score<\/a><\/p>\n Game 4: No. 6 North Texas 7, No. 7 UTSA 6 | Box Score<\/a>
\nThursday, May 7 | Quarterfinals Game 6: No. 3 East Carolina 4, No. 6 North Texas 2 | Box Score<\/a>
\nFriday, May 8 | Semifinals Game 8: No. 3 East Carolina 3, No. 2 Wichita State 2 | Box Score<\/a>
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\nBehind a record-setting crowd of 921 people, the Bulls repeated as champions and captured their second American Softball Championship title.
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\nSouth Florida pitcher Anne Long was named the tournament\u2019s Most Outstanding Player after allowing just four hits and one run in 14.0 innings in the circle over the course of two games.
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\nSouth Florida\u2019s bats were hot to start the game, recording three hits in the first inning. Alex Wilkes scored Olivia Elliott from second base with a two-out single for the first run of the game.
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\nA mistake-filled fourth inning resulted in four runs for the Bulls. Alexa Galligani began the scoring with a single up the middle, but a pair of errors on the play allowed a run to score. A fielder\u2019s choice off the bat of DaNia Brooks pushed home another run before Jamia Nelson drove in a pair of runs with a single to center field.
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\nThe Pirates got their first hit of the game with a solo home run from Hailey Deter, her second of the tournament, to start the fifth inning, but that was all East Carolina would get as Long held the Pirates hitless the rest of the way.
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\nLong (21-5) earned the win for the Bulls, allowing one run in seven innings in the circle, while striking out five batters.
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\nJulia Apostolakos (18-12) allowed four runs of six hits in 2.1 innings in the loss.\u00a0 Sydney Rainford tossed the final 3.2 innings, allowing one hit in relief.
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\nMost Outstanding Player
\nAnne Long, P, South Florida
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\nAll-Tournament Team
\nSydney Lewis, DP, Charlotte
\nAnneca Anderson, P, North Texas
\nRyley Nihart, P, Wichita State
\nJulia Apostolakos, P, East Carolina
\nSydney Rainford, P, East Carolina
\nAnna Sawyer, OF, East Carolina
\nHailey Deter, OF, East Carolina
\nOlivia Elliott, OF, South Florida
\nJamia Nelson, 1B, South Florida
\nKathy Garcia-Soto, 2B, South Florida
\nAnne Long, P, South Florida
\nAlex Wilkes, SS, South Florida
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\n2026 AMERICAN SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
\nJoyner Family Softball Stadium | Greenville, North Carolina
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\nWednesday, May 6 | First and Second Round
\nGame 1: No. 8 Tulsa 2, No. 9 UAB 1 | Box Score<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nGame 5: No. 4 Florida Atlantic 5, No. 5 Charlotte 4 | Box Score<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nGame 7: No. 1 South Florida 3, No. 4 Florida Atlantic 0 | Box Score<\/a><\/p>\n
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