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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA- The Bulls' comeback attempt came up short for the second straight game.
USF put together a five-run fifth inning to tie it up at West Virginia, but the bullpen couldn't hold on in a 10-8 loss Friday night. The Bulls (33-20, 16-10) fell two games behind first-place St. John's with one game to go in the regular season.
What wound up a comeback attempt started off as a lead for the Bulls.
USF grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second inning on a homer to right-center field by Kyle Teaf before West Virginia struck back in a big way. Bulls starter Derrick Stultz lasted only 1 2/3 innings after the Mountaineers scored six runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning.
A two-run double by Jimmy Falla cut USF's deficit to 6-3 in the third. West Virginia answered back with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning thanks to RBI hits by Chris Rasky and Nate Antone off Joey Lovecchio, who relieved Stultz in the second.
The scoring marathon continued in the fourth when the Bulls tied it up with a five-run inning, all with two outs. Luis Llerena get things going with a two-run double that plated Anthony Diaz and Alex Mendez. James Ramsay walked to put runners on first and second before Blake Sydeski hit an RBI single to center field. Falla collected this third RBI to tie the game by singling to right field.
West Virginia starter Dan Dierdorff exited after 3 2/3 innings and was charged with all eight runs as USF racked up eight hits off the right-hander.
West Virginia scored the go-ahead run off Nick Gonzalez in the sixth and added an insurance run in the eighth to cap off the scoring.
Despite the loss, USF's offense was in high gear with Mendez leading the way with a 3-for-4 night. Llerena, Falla and Ramsay each collected two hits apiece in the Bulls' 11-hit attack.
USF wraps up the regular season with a 1 p.m. game Saturday at West Virginia before getting ready for the Big East Championship in Clearwater.
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