HOUSTON, APRIL 23, 2016 – Designated hitter Luke Borders (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit a three-run home run and pitcher Brandon Lawson (Brooksville, Fla.) threw 7.0 innings of one run baseball as the University of South Florida baseball team (19-20, 4-7 The American) won 4-1 at Houston (21-16, 4-7) on Saturday night. The victory for the Bulls evens up the weekend series and forces a deciding game on Sunday at Schroeder Park.
“I thought Brandon Lawson really set the tone tonight,” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston. “That was exactly what we needed out of our Saturday starter and the Luke Borders home run was obviously a big blow for us.”
Following a scoreless first, USF tallied three runs in the second inning. Houston starter Seth Romero put two runners on base with a hit by pitch and a walk, and both runners would score on the Luke Borders home run to right field. The homer by Borders was his third of the season and pushed the Bulls ahead 3-0.
Lawson maintained the lead with a double play to end the second. The junior right-hander also received an outfield assist from Daniel Portales (Tampa), throwing out a runner at third base, to complete the fourth inning.
Up by three, USF added to the advantage in the fifth. With men at first and second, outfielder Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) roped a hit-and-run single to right, scoring fellow outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.), for the 4-0 cushion.
Lawson kept Houston scoreless until the seventh when a leadoff double turned into the Cougars first run.
Reliever Andrew Perez (Orlando, Fla.) threw a scoreless eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts to take the 4-1 lead to the ninth.
Closer Tommy Eveld (Tampa) then pitched a scoreless ninth to even up the series at one.
Lawson (4-3) fired 7.0 innings, yielding just one run on six hits for the win. It was his first victory since March 19. The USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award candidate now leads the American Athletic Conference with 75 strikeouts this season.
Eveld's save was his eighth this year, most in The American.
Stunkel Jr. extended his hitting streak to 12 with a 2-for-3 night. He reached base three times and had one run scored.
All three of Luke Borders' home runs this season have come in conference play.
Catcher Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) saw his on-base streak snapped at seven.
The series is up for grabs on Sunday. The finale will begin at 2 p.m. EDT. The Bulls will have right-hander Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) on the mound against Cougar's righty Mitch Ullom.
The Bulls will be back at home to host Florida International University on April 26 at 6:30 p.m.
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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