JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2007) ? The University of South Florida extended its four-game winning streak Friday afternoon, earning a 10-9 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins at Alexander Brest Field.
The Bulls scored 10 runs ? six of which were in the ninth ? off of 15 hits in the matchup with the Atlantic Sun foe. The Dolphins answered USF's scoring rout in the bottom of the ninth with seven runs of their own, including a home run.
In the first inning, Walter Diaz posed USF's first scoring possibility after a single to center field, then advancing to third after a sacrifice fly from junior Josh LeRoy. A passed ball from the Dolphins moved Diaz to third, but the Bulls were unable to bring the junior shortstop around for the score.
Following the first scoreless first inning of the season, which included one strikeout from right-handed pitcher Danny Otero, the Bulls tallied a run in the second inning to take the 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, junior first baseman Brandin Daniel was hit by a pitch, then advanced to second on a base hit from designated hitter Charles Cleveland. Second baseman Dexter Butler took his place on first base after being walked, loading the bases for USF. Sophomore catcher Braulio Pardo sent a sacrifice fly to right field, earning an RBI as Daniel crossed the plate.
Jacksonville put together a scoring threat in the bottom of the third following a throwing error from the Bulls, allowing Dolphin runners to assume positions on second and third bases. With two outs, the Dolphins hit a ball up the middle, which was blocked by the foot of Otero, allowing the USF pitcher to throw the batter out at first, ending the inning with no JU runs scored.
The fifth was another busy inning for the Bulls, scoring two runs and taking the 3-0 lead. Pardo opened the inning with a single to the Dolphins' left side for the third USF hit of the game.
Diaz blasted a base hit through the left side, moving Pardo to second as LeRoy came to the plate. A short LeRoy bunt allowed the Dolphins' catcher to throw Pardo out at third, loading first and second with Diaz and LeRoy, respectively.
Senior Ty Taborelli doubled to right field to score Diaz, bringing sophomore Addison Maruszak to the plate. Maruszak hit a sacrifice fly to center field, which scored LeRoy, before Taborelli was thrown out trying to take third on the play.
Jacksonville battled back by earning a walk and chopping a single to put runners on first and second. Following a sacrifice bunt from the Dolphins, which moved the runners into scoring positions, Jacksonville tallied its first run of the game on a sacrifice to second base.
The Dolphins capitalized on a throwing error by the Bulls in the sixth, scoring one run before Otero ended the inning by freezing a Dolphin batter with a strikeout.
In the seventh, Pardo, who is now riding a three-game hitting streak, singled through the right side and moved to second on Diaz' base hit past the JU short stop. With no outs, sophomore Mike Consolmagno - batting in place of LeRoy ? put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Taborelli then connected on a pitch and gained the only RBI of the inning by scoring Diaz from third, extending the USF lead 4-2.
Junior LHP Davis Bilardello entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and recorded his first strikeout of the 2007 season, the 80th of his career, while retiring three consecutive batters in 11 pitches.
After Bilardello had some trouble in the eighth, sophomore RHP Matt Wagner entered the game with one out remaining, closing out the inning with a fly ball to Consolmagno in center field.
The Bulls exploded in the top of the ninth, an inning that would last an hour and 10 minutes, scoring six runs off of six hits, while the Dolphins fought back with seven runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Diaz began the attack with a base hit, followed by walks to Consolmagno and Taborelli. Maruszak then notched a two-RBI single, scoring Diaz and Consolmagno, to put the Bulls ahead 6-2.
A base hit from Angelberger loaded the bases for Daniel, who drew the walk, scoring USF's seventh run of the game. While pinch hitter Nick Cardieri was at bat Maruszak scored on a passed ball, allowing Angelberger and Daniel to advance a base as well. Cardieri registered a sacrifice hit to right field, scoring Angelberger before Butler sent a flair to right field for his third hit of the season.
Pardo replicated Butler's hit to the opposite field in the next at bat, bringing the top of the order, Diaz, to the plate. Diaz cracked his fifth hit of the game on a single to right field to load the bases for the Bulls. Consolmagno's grounder to second base ended the inning with USF holding a 10-2 lead.
After Wagner hit two Dolphins and allowed a single up the middle, JU scored its third run on a bases-loaded walk.
Senior right-hander Yuri Higgins replaced Wagner, entering the game with no outs, and the bases loaded, in the bottom of the ninth. Higgins threw a wild pitch, then allowed a two-run double, bringing the score within five runs. The Dolphins then put together a string of two sacrifice hits and a walk before a home run brought the game within one.
Higgins struck out the next Dolphin batter to end the game 10-9 in favor of USF.
Diaz went 5-for-6 in the game with two runs scored while Maruszak notched three RBI and one run. Pardo tallied three hits, one RBI and one run.
Otero earned the win for USF, striking out three of his 25 batters faced, giving up two runs, one of which was earned, in six innings. Bilardello added two strikeouts and Higgins had one.
The Bulls and Dolphins travel back to Tampa tonight in preparation for the final two games of the series, which will be played Saturday and Sunday at Red McEwen Field. The first pitch on Feb. 17 will be at 6 p.m., and Sunday's game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
