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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (March 22, 2015)— Luke and Levi Borders put on a show, going a combined 8-for-10 at the plate and coming up clutch at the right time to lead the Bulls to an 8-5, ten inning win over No. 18 Illinois in the series finale.

With the game tied at five, the Bulls went to extra innings for the second time this season. Andres Leal led off the inning with a full-count single to left field. Zac Gilcrease entered to pinch run and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Teaf. Kevin Merrell was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out for Levi Borders.

On the second pitch he saw, Levi launched a two RBI double down the left field line to score Gilcrease and Merrell. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Luke Borders followed with an RBI single to left center to put the Bulls up 8-5.

The three runs scored in the top of the tenth were the first runs given up by Illini reliever Tyler Jay all season. Jay, arguably one of the best relievers in the country, had given up just eight hits and allowed no runs in 23.1 innings of work before giving up three runs on five hits to USF.

The Bulls exploded for five runs during a two-out rally in the top of the third. After two quick outs, Teaf and Merrell were issued back-to-back walks. Teaf stole second and advanced on a wild pitch to put runners on the corners for Levi Borders. Back-to-back RBI singles from Levi and Luke Borders put the bulls on top 2-1.

With two on and two outs, senior first basemen Buddy Putnam launched his second home run in as many days over the right field wall to give USF its largest lead of the series. It was the 12th home run of the season for the Bulls.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Illini cut the Bulls lead to one on a two-out, three-run home run by Reid Roper. They tied the game at five with an RBI single by David Kerian in the bottom of the eighth.

Levi Borders went 4-for-5 at the plate with two runs and three RBI. Luke Borders was also 4-for-5 with one run and two RBI. Joe Cavallaro took a no-decision after throwing 4.2 innings and giving up four runs on six hits while striking out three. Peterson earned his second win of the season, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out four in 3.2 innings of work.

The Bulls continue their four-game road trip Tuesday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. as they take on FGCU in Fort Meyers.

For more information on the USF baseball team, follow @USFBaseball on Twitter.

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