JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (MARCH 9, 2016) – The University of South Florida (6-7) baseball team was defeated 7-5 on the road at Jacksonville (8-3) on Wednesday evening.
The Bulls trailed 6-1 early before surging back and bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning. With a runner at second and two outs, reliever Mike Cassalla struck out USF first baseman Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) to end the Bulls final rally and preserve the mid-week win.
Down by a run, USF first clamored back in the third inning when catcher Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) reached on a one-out walk and scored on a Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) RBI triple.
The game stayed 1-1 only until the bottom of the inning when JU plated five runs against starting pitcher Brad Labozzetta (Lakeland, Fla.).
Trailing by five, Bulls infielder Coco Montes (Miami, Fla.) brought USF a bit closer with a fielder's choice in the fourth.
Behind 6-2, the Bulls made another big dent in the deficit with a three-run sixth. The first run of the inning was scored on a Jacksonville error and Dietrich brought two more home with a double down the left field line.
Within a run, USF nearly tied the game in the seventh. Down 6-5, Maglich led off with a double, his second extra base hit of the contest. JU then turned to reliever Parker Perez who got the next three hitters out to maintain the advantage.
Pitcher Andrew Perez (Orlando, Fla.) relieved Labozzetta in the sixth, and threw back-to-back scoreless innings to keep the Bulls close. Jacksonville, however, added a late insurance run in the eighth and held off USF from scoring in the ninth to claim the victory.
JU starter Kyle Arjona (1-0) receives the win, tossing 5.2 innings. He surrendered five runs (two earned) on four hits. Labozzetta (0-3) takes the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) in 5.0 innings. Cassalla logged the last 1.2 innings for his third save.
Dietrich posted the first two RBIs of his collegiate career in the contest. Infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
The Bulls return home to host Holy Cross for a weekend series. First pitch on Friday and Saturday is 6:30 p.m. The Sunday contest will start at 1 p.m. All games will be played at USF Baseball Stadium.
The Friday night promotion is Spring Break Kickoff. All fans are encouraged to come to the game before they begin their spring break plans. At the start of the game, popsicles (while supplies last) will be passed out at the marketing table. All in-game promotions and music will be beach-themed as well.
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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