TAMPA, FEB. 20, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (1-1) suffered a 4-0 setback against the Liberty Flames (1-1) on Saturday night. Following an 11-10 USF win on Friday, the weekend set is now tied one game apiece as the Bulls will look to win the series on Sunday.
“Liberty kept us off balance today,” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston. “Both teams made adjustments going into tonight, but the big difference in the game is that we just walked a lot of hitters early and helped them get those runs.”
The Flames scored first in the contest, plating three runs in the top of the second inning and removing Bulls pitcher Brad Labozzetta (Lakeland, Fla.) from the game.
Trailing by three, USF loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but were unable to cut into the deficit. The Bulls also created another rally in the third but an inning ending popup concluded the threat.
Pitcher Brandon Lawson (Brookville, Fla.) kept USF in the game by tossing 4.2 innings of one-run baseball. The righty also struck out a career-high seven hitters.
Down 4-0, the Bulls put men at first and second base in the eighth. However, Liberty catcher Josh Latta stopped the momentum with a sliding catch on a foul pop to end the frame.
Labozzetta (0-1) takes the defeat, yielding three runs in 1.1 innings pitched. Liberty reliever Jack DeGroat (1-0) recorded the win with 3.2 shutout innings. Pitcher Caleb Evans tossed 1.1 innings for his first save of the year.
Bulls catcher Levi Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) reached base three times on the night. His brother, Levi Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) drew two walks in the game.
USF's bullpen threw 7.2 innings, yielding just one run on two hits. The combination of Lawson, Mark Savarese (Palm City, Fla.), Michael Clarkson (Oldsmar, Fla.) and Dylan Burns combined to strike out 10 hitters.
First pitch on Sunday is set for 1:00 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium. Sophomore right-hander Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) will take the ball for USF against Liberty lefty Michael Stafford. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. Under the guidance of first year head coach Mark Kingston, the Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals last season for the first time in 13 years and USF followed that success with a consensus Top 10 recruiting class. The team returns outfielder Kevin Merrell, who was named an NCBWA Freshmen All-American last season after leading the Bulls in batting average (.346), runs (45), hits (83) and stolen bases (21). Senior catcher Levi Borders and senior outfielder Luke Maglich were both named to the 2016 Preseason All-Conference Team in the AAC. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 11 NCAA appearances. Follow the baseball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
- #GoBulls -
