By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA – The No. 20 Bulls rallied twice but couldn't break through in Friday's 3-2 and 5-4 losses at Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J.

USF (32-18, 15-5) lost its first Big East series since March 30 while the Pirates (32-16, 15-5) extended their winning streak to 11 games and pulled into a tie with the Bulls for third place in the league standings.

James Ramsay went 2-for-4 in the series opener that saw the Bulls' offense get going in the sixth inning when the outfielder collected his first of two RBIs. Ramsay tied the game at 2 in the eighth before Seton Hall went back ahead in the bottom half of the frame.

Jimmy Herget (5-2) kept the Bulls in game 1 by scattering seven hits in 7 1/3 innings. The freshman right-hander gave up three runs (two earned) and walked only one batter in another strong performance.

Seton Hall started game 2 with a four-run first inning before the Bulls got going again in the sixth. A fielding error got the Bulls on the scoreboard and Chris Norton cut the deficit in half with an RBI double down the line in left field.

The Pirates grabbed a 5-2 lead in the seventh and USF continued to claw its way back in the eighth when Jimmy Falla hit an RBI double with two outs. Nik Alfonso cut the deficit to 5-4 in the ninth but USF ended the game with the tying run stranded on third.

Joey Lovecchio (5-3) will start Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale back at Owen T. Carroll Field. The senior right-hander has won two of his past three starts.