TAMPA, FEB. 23, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team fell behind early and rallied back late only to see FGCU pull away in the final inning for a 13-6 win on Tuesday night. Infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) hit his first career home run in the contest and outfielder Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) also recorded two RBIs in the defeat.
PHOTO GALLERY
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
“We needed to be better in all areas tonight, not just pitching” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston. “Our defense made two errors and I thought we should have scored a lot more than six runs on eight hits. It was one collective, not very good night for us.”
The Bulls fell behind when FGCU tallied three runs in the opening frame. USF threatened in the bottom half by bringing the tying run to the plate but Eagles starting pitcher Ryan Lang recorded a strikeout to end the threat.
Ahead 3-0, FGCU extended the lead with a run in the second, another score in the third and three more runs in the fifth.
Trailing by eight, the Bulls battled back with a three-run home run from Merrell in the home half of the fifth.
After FGCU tacked on an additional run in the sixth, USF found themselves behind 9-3. That was until Chatfield roped a two-run double to left field in the bottom of the inning. Chatfield then scored later in the frame on a wild pitch to make the score 9-6. The Bulls proceeded to move two runners into scoring position but reliever Garrett Anderson neutralized the rally with an inning-ending strikeout.
Within three runs, USF again brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth but Anderson retired back-to-back hitters to maintain the 9-6 edge.
FGCU scored four times in the ninth to secure the win.
Lang (1-0) receives the win, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings pitch. Freshman Andrew Perez (Orlando, Fla.) took the loss in his collegiate debut, yielding four runs (three earned) in 3.0 innings. Anderson tossed the last 3.1 innings for the save.
Merrell led USF offensively with a 2-for-4 performance including his three-run home run. Chatfield also went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and two RBIs. Infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) also scored twice as well for the Bulls.
USF continues their season-long seven game homestand on Friday, Feb. 26 when the Bulls open up a three-game weekend series with Eastern Michigan. First pitch for the series opener is 7:00 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium. 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 -
