Deanna Henriott Leads Tampa to Program’s Second SSC Title

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - With every school pitching record in hand, University of Tampa (35-5, 20-2 SSC) senior softball player Deanna Henriott achieved a first as she led her Spartans to a Sunshine State Conference title with a 1-0 shutout of Nova Southeastern University (32-21, 12-9 SSC).

The SSC title went down as the second in program history, as the Spartans previously took the league crown in 2001.

The senior from St. Petersburg, Fla., outdueled opposing pitcher Sara DeMuth, as Henriott moved to 21-4 on the season with the victory. She allowed just three hits while walking none and striking out eight Sharks. It was also the 13th shutout of the season for the Spartan ace.

Offensively, freshman Kayleen Boatwright returned to the Spartan lineup to notch a pair of hits and score the game-winning run. Fellow freshman Meagan Burke drove in the deciding run on a third inning walk with the bases loaded.

Tampa will face Nova Southeastern for a pair of Saturday games, beginning at 1 p.m., to close the 2012 regular season. Live stats and a broadcast will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.