ORLANDO, Fla., APRIL 15, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (17-17, 3-4 The American) utilized a six-run third inning on their way to a 6-4 series opening win at UCF on Friday afternoon.
“Today was a good game for us - we pitched just well enough to win, especially out of the bullpen, and our hitters gave a lot of good at bats,” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston. “When we score six runs, we feel we have a chance to win a lot of times.”
The game originally was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but the contest was moved up to noon due to weather concerns.
UCF (18-18, 3-4 The American) originally went ahead on a two-run homer in the second.
The Bulls erased the deficit by sending 12 batters to the plate in the third inning. USF tied the contest on an RBI groundout from Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) and went ahead on a throwing error by the Knights. Later in the frame, the Bulls increased the lead with RBI singles from catcher Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) and infielder Jonah Garrison (Orlando, Fla.) as well as a wild pitch that led to the final run of the inning.
Trailing 6-2, the Knights drew closer with a run in the third
USF pitcher Phoenix Sanders (Gainesville, Fla.) and UCF reliever Harrison Hukari then proceeded to keep the teams from scoring any more runs until the bottom of the sixth. That was when the UCF plated a run on an RBI single and brought the tying run to the plate. Sanders then struck out Ryan Crile to end the sixth inning threat.
Ahead 6-4, the USF relievers maintained the two-run cushion for the remainder of the game. Pitcher Andrew Perez (Orlando, Fla.) faced the tying run in the seventh but induced a lineout to end the inning. Fellow reliever Tommy Eveld (Tampa) also entered a one-out, two-out jam in the eighth to retire the tying run on a flyout. Eveld also tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the Bulls win.
All USF starters reached base at least one time each in the victory.
Outfielder Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.), was 2-for-3 with a run scored. He also walked twice and reached base four times in the contest.
Infielder Coco Montes extended his hitting streak to eight straight with a third inning single. A single in the third also advanced Duke Stunkel Jr.'s hitting streak to seven.
Dietrich and Garrison both ended the game 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI each.
Infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) moved his hit streak to four, and on base streak to 10 with an RBI single in the third.
Sanders (4-2) received the win, allowing four runs over 6.0 innings. Perez earned a hold by throwing 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Eveld ended the game with 1.1 hitless innings for his seventh save of the year.
The series continues on Saturday with a noon start time. The Bulls will have right-hander Brandon Lawson (Brooksville, Fla.) on the mound against Knight's righty Robby Howell.
USF returns home to host Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. It will be the team's Military Appreciation Night 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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Six Run Inning Sets Up Series Opening Win
