TAMPA, MARCH 27, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (14-11) received 7.0 innings of one-hit baseball from pitcher Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) and another two hitless innings from closer Tommy Eveld (Tampa) to shutout the Dartmouth Big Green 4-0 on Sunday. The combined one-hitter was the first in program history since 2012 and it secured the Bulls a program record six consecutive series wins to begin the season.
“Cavallaro had everything working. He was ahead of hitters and his stuff was good,” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston. “He did not give them free offense and help to their offense. His opposing batting average is very low so the key for him is throwing strikes consistently and he did that today.”
The Bulls leapt ahead in the second inning, capitalizing on a Dartmouth error with a Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) RBI single.
Ahead 1-0, USF increased the advantage in the fifth with a Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) run-producing infield single.
The lead was plenty for Cavallaro, who retired 10 batters in a row at one point and brought a no-hit bid into the sixth inning.
Up by two, the Bulls tallied another pair of runs in the sixth on Dietrich's second RBI single and a Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) run scoring fielder's choice.
Eveld threw the final 2.0 innings, setting down six of the seven hitters he faced to preserve the USF series win.
The Bulls' combined one-hitter is the first of its kind since Derrick Stultz (7.0) and Austin Adams (2.0) accomplished the feat in a 4-0 victory over Eastern Illinois on March 9, 2012.
Cavallaro (4-0) allowed just one walk and one hit in his 7.0 innings. His nine strikeouts fell one shy of tying his career high.
Eveld struck out four batters in his 2.0 innings of work and lowered his ERA to 0.77 this season.
The USF pitching staff posted a 0.33 ERA over the weekend series, including two shutouts and a .115 opponent's batting average.
Dietrich ended the day with a career-high tying two hits and two RBIs.
Outfielder Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) also posted two hits in the game. His stolen base in the first inning made him 17-for-17 this season. Outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) also swiped his 11th stolen base of the year and Merrell nabbed his eighth steal as well.
The Bulls next game will be on Tuesday against Stetson. First pitch is set for 6:30 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 selected 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.
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