USF softball team fights for player with cancer

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The University of South Florida women's softball team is on quite the run.

They have won eight straight games, all while allowing just one run from their competitors.

The eight straight takes us back to around Easter, a holiday, but also a time when the team happened to receive some unfortunate news about one of their own, teammate Meredith Bissette.

Bissette, a sophomore, was diagnosed with Chordoma Cancer and was told she has a long fight ahead of her.

The team says she will be leaving her home in North Carolina for Boston, where she plans to undergo five weeks of radiation treatment, then surgery, followed by two more weeks of radiation, and then rehab and recovery.

And while she'll be fighting, they say she's not going it alone. The team has started an online fundraising account for Bissette's cause, which has already raised nearly $10,000. 

"The University of South Florida softball team's goal is to help our Bull and her family with any expenses that this unexpected situation may bring while Meredith kicks chordoma's butt along the way!," the web page explains.

And GoFundMe is not the only way they're spreading the word about Bissette's battle.

Online, the hashtag #MereBearStrong has taken off. Tweets from the USF Softball account got things going, but since, other athletic teams- both on USF's campus and on others around the nation- have sent love, well wishes and support her way.

Bissette's team has also organized a celebrity Home Run Derby fundraiser they've planned for May 8th on campus.

In the meantime, they plan to continue their winning streak in honor of their teammate, both on and off the field. 

Click here to access the GoFundMe page.