GAINESVILLE, Fla., MAY 10, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (21-27) led No. 1 Florida (41-8) for 5 ½ innings on Tuesday night before the top-ranked Gators rallied late for the 11-4 win at McKethan Stadium.
Infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) led USF offensively with a season-high tying three hits, a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. Catcher Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) also matched a career high with three hits.
The Bulls surged ahead early thanks in part to a three-run first inning. USF loaded the bases with nobody out and went up on a fielder's choice from first baseman Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). The Bulls then tacked on more runs with RBI singles from infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Genord.
Down 3-0, the No. 1 Gators responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.
USF starting pitcher Michael Clarkson (Oldsmar, Fla.) then settled down, inducing a double play to post a scoreless second inning, and then retiring nine batters in a row.
Leading by a run, the Bulls added to their 3-2 edge in the sixth. Outfielder Cameron Montgomery (Windermere, Fla.) led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and was brought home on a Merrell run scoring single to left-center field.
Trailing 4-2, the Gators fought back again with two runs in the home half of the sixth but Clarkson stopped the scoring with an inning-ending strikeout.
Clarkson pitched 6.0 innings in the no decision, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits.
Even at four, Florida claimed their first lead with a six-run seventh inning. The Gators also added a run in the eighth for the seven run victory.
Reliever Garrett Bye (Riverview, Fla.) incurred his first career loss in the defeat.
Outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) also matched his career best with two hits.
USF returns to conference play with a three-game weekend series at No. 21 East Carolina beginning on Friday.
The next home game for USF will be a midweek tilt with Jacksonville on May 17. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. It is the last $2 Tuesday of the season with discounted food options including hot dogs, popcorn, and soda.
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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