The University of South Florida softball team's regular season ended in rather bizarre fashion Sunday, with Bulls coach Ken Eriksen pulling his team off the field at DePaul and issuing a forfeit because of what USF athletics officials later described as safety concerns.

USF trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Eriksen ordered his team off the field, according to live updates provided through Twitter from USF athletics. A decision to forfeit was made shortly thereafter, and USF released a statement, though without providing specific details.

"USF has informed the Big East Conference staff of the concerns related to the safety and welfare of its team members, which led to the decision to leave the playing field," the statement read. "USF will have no further comment until the conference office has reviewed and addressed the matter."

Eriksen declined comment through a USF athletics department official with the team. An email sent to DePaul athletics officials seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The decision to forfeit had a direct impact on USF's seed for next week's Big East tournament in Louisville. The Bulls could have earned the No.?3 seed with a win, but the loss dropped them into the No.?4 spot. USF (33-20, 13-5) will open the league tournament Thursday against the fifth-seeded Cardinals.

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/college-sports/2011/may/09/1/spnewso3-usf-forfeits-regular-season-finale-ar-205912/

I was listening to Andy Slater this afternoon on 640am when this was mentioned.

Apparently, DePaul's coach instructed their pitcher to bean the USF batters. When the USF staff caught wind of this, they instructed all their players back on the bus