TAMPA, Fla. (May 18, 2007) ? Despite a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth from junior first baseman Brandin Daniel, the University of South Florida baseball team lost 7-3 to the No. 23 St. John's Red Storm Friday night at Red McEwen.
The Bulls drop to 31-24 (12-14) while St. John's improves to 39-14 (20-6).
Daniel and Joey Angelberger were each 2-of-4 at the plate against St. John's. Daniel drove in all three USF runs and scored one while Angelberger crossed the plate twice.
Junior right hander Chris Delaney was handed his fourth loss of the season after giving up 10 hits and six runs in 6.0 innings. Delaney, who is 8-4, struck out four while walking just one of his 30 batters faced.
After getting touched up for a couple of runs in the second, the Bulls allowed four more in the sixth, but scored one in the seventh to dodge the shutout. The Red Storm tallied one more in the eighth, then Daniel's two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth ended the scoring for the game.
To begin the Bulls' scoring, Angelberger struck out, but reached on a wild pitch by the Red Storm, with two outs in the seventh. Daniel doubled down the left line, driving in Angelberger and scoring USF's first run of the game. Daniel picked up his 43rd RBI of the year on the play.
St. John's scored one in the top of the eighth, taking a six-run lead, but the Bulls answered with two in the bottom of the ninth to draw the score within four.
With one out, Angelberger sent a long fly ball to center field, his second triple of the season. Daniel then stepped to the plate and rocketed a home run over the right field fence, recording his seventh bomb of the year, scoring USF's final runs of the game.
Junior Charles Cleveland made his second appearance of the season on the mound, tossing 40 pitches in two innings for USF. Cleveland allowed one run from three hits before freshman left hander J.C. Suarez came in to close the game, allowing no runs and no hits in 1.0 inning. Cleveland has primarily been a designated hitter this season while Suarez plays outfield for the Bulls.
The Bulls and Red Storm will meet for the third game of the series at 1 p.m. Saturday for the regular season finale. USF will recognize five seniors, including Nick Cardieri, Chris Delaney, Yuri Higgins, Danny Otero and Ty Taborelli, prior to the game on Saturday.
Listen to Saturday's game live on the USF Press Pass, with Jim Louk and Garrett Woolvard calling the play-by-play.
After the three-game set with St. John's, USF will await their seed for the 2007 BIG EAST Conference Baseball Championship held May 22-26 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
