JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Saturday, Feb. 18) ? Four home runs accounted for eight of Jacksonville's total runs as the University of South Florida baseball team (2-3) fell to the JU Dolphins (6-1), 11-6, on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Alexander Brest Field.

Trailing for much of the game, USF could not overcome the four home runs by four different JU batters. USF cut the lead to within two runs three separate times in the contest, however Jacksonville's lead (a some key home runs) proved to be too much as the Bulls suffered their third defeat of the season.

Nick Cardieri (2-for-4) and Kris Howell (2-for-5) recorded four of USF's nine hits in the game. Cardieri registered two doubles, scoring a run and driving in another. Howell, who increased his current hitting streak to four games, also scored a run in the contest. A total of seven players registered a hit versus Jacksonville.

Junior Casey Hudspeth, who was making his second start of the season, suffered the loss, allowing a career-high 10 runs on eight hits in four and two-thirds innings against the Dolphins. Left-hander Nick Manganaro pitched three and one-third innings in relief of Hudspeth, allowing one run on two hits, notching three Ks.

Jacksonville took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a three-run home run by Justin Young. With a 1-2 count and runners on first and third, Young sent a Hudspeth curve ball over the left field fence, giving JU the early lead. USF answered with two runs on two hits in the top of the third. Jim Cassidy drove in the Bulls' first run of the game, bringing home Brandin Daniel from third and advancing Mike Consolmagno to third. Consolmagno crossed home plate on a wild pitch by Kyle DeVries, cutting Jacksonville's lead to 3-2.

JU added three more runs in the bottom of the third on the team's second home run of the game. Mike McCallister hit his first home run of the season, driving three runs with a shot over the left-field fence, extending the Dolphin's lead to 6-2. USF scored two runs in the top of the fourth on consecutive walks with the bases loaded. The two runs cut JU's lead to 6-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Brad Simmons extended Jacksonville's lead to 7-4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Brian Baisley scored USF's fifth run of the game on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth. It was the second run scored by the Bulls on a Dolphin wild pitch of the contest. The Bulls cut JU's lead to one run with an RBI double by Cardieri in that same inning. The double was the second of the game for the Tampa, Fla., native.

Jacksonville made the score 10-6 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a two-RBI single by Logan James. The Dolphins added a run in the bottom of the sixth with a home run by Gordie Gronkowski to make the score 11-6.

JU's Tim Brown was credited with the victory. Brown came in for relief of DeVries in the fifth inning, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out three in four and two-thirds innings of action. Starter DeVries last just four and one-third innings, leaving the contest due to an injury in the fifth. DeVries gave up six runs on six hits, walking five USF batters on the afternoon.

The loss marked the second-straight to Jacksonville as the series history improved in favor of the Dolphins, 47-46.

USF will close out its two-game set with Jacksonville on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Alexander Brest Field. Game time is Noon. Scheduled to take the mound for the Bulls will be sophomore Daniel Thomas. Left-hander Matt Dobbins is slated to start for the Dolphins.

Jacksonville 11, USF 6 (Feb 18, 2006 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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USF................. 002 220 000 - 6 9 0 (2-3)
Jacksonville........ 033 131 00X - 11 10 2 (6-1)
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Pitchers: USF - HUDSPETH; MANGANARO(5). Jacksonville - DEVRIES; BROWN(5).
Win-BROWN(1-0) Loss-HUDSPETH(1-1) T-2:47 A-247
HR JU - GRONKOWSKI (2); MCCALLISTER (3); SIMMONS (1); YOUNG (1).