USF softball opened the Big East season with two wins against Seton Hall on Friday, getting dominant pitching from Lindsey Richardson and Brittany Bowles to improve to 17-16 on the season.

Richardson threw a complete-game shutout in a 7-0 win, and Bowles struck out eight and held the Pirates to three hits, finishing one out short of a complete game herself. The Bulls got a three-run triple by Kendall Arnold in the opener, and Lauren Rodriguez hit a bases-loaded single in the sixth for what turned out to be the deciding run in the second game.

The Bulls had gone 11 games without getting back-to-back wins, but now they open the Big East season with a strong showing. USF and Seton Hall finish their three-game series on Saturday afternoon.