http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/20/Sports/Softball_fight_may_co.shtml Colleges Softball fight may cost USF By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer Published April 20, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA - South Florida star softball pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis could be suspended for her involvement in a melee Sunday after the Bulls' home game against Alabama-Birmingham. Ellis and UAB sophomore outfielder Chelsea McCall were involved, representatives of both schools said. UAB coach Marla Townsend said the teams were shaking hands after the game when Ellis struck McCall on the outside of her left eye. McCall contacted the USF Police Department, which filed battery charges. USF police said the charges would be filed with the State Attorney's Office and Ellis also would be referred to Student Affairs. USF senior associate athletic director Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy said Monday that the athletic department was reviewing the matter and could make an announcement as soon as today regarding Ellis' status. "We think sportsmanship is very important, and we are investigating it internally and speaking to the appropriate people," Sparks-McGlinchy said. According to multiple witnesses, two incidents in the game precipitated the disturbance, one of which when Ellis hit McCall with a pitch. (Though witnesses from both sides say she was not hit and the umpire made an incorrect call.) Words briefly were exchanged after both plays but Townsend characterized both incidents as normal, "situations you have in just about every game." Townsend said Ellis admitted hitting McCall, who had a visible mark near her left eye but didn't require medical attention.