GREENVILLE, N.C., MAY 13, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (21-28, 6-13 The American) had eight players record at least one hit each as the Bulls were defeated 14-7 at No. 21 East Carolina on Friday night.
Designated hitter Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) set a season-high with three hits, including a home run, and matched his season-best with three runs batted in. Infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) also added another two RBIs and season-high tying three hits. Infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) also tallied three hits, one shy of his career high, and scored two runs as well.
The Bulls pounced on East Carolina (31-17-1, 12-6-1) starting pitcher Evan Kruczynski for an early four-run advantage.
Kruczynski began the night leading The American with a 1.40 ERA but USF greeted him with a Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) RBI single in the first, a Merrell sacrifice fly in the second, and a Borders two-run home run in the third. The Borders' blast was his fourth this season, all of which have been hit in conference play.
Trailing 4-0, No. 21 ECU cut the deficit in half with a run in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Ahead by two, the Bulls extended the advantage with a three-run sixth, plating runs on RBI singles from Borders, infielder Coco Montes (Miami) and Merrell.
Trailing 7-2, ECU then scored nine runs in the sixth to take the lead.
Facing a four run deficit, USF had opportunities late. The Bulls placed men at the corners in the seventh but the Pirates weaved out of the jam. USF also loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth but were unable to score.
USF starting pitcher Phoenix Sanders (Gainesville, Fla.) tossed 5.0 innings in the no decision. Pitcher Andrew Perez (Orlando, Fla.) received the loss, yielding three runs in relief. Pitcher Dylan Burns (Vero Beach, Fla.) tied his career high outing with 3.0 innings.
Merrell advanced his hit streak to nine in the contest and moved his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games.
The Bulls will look to even up the series on Saturday at 4 p.m. USF will have right-hander and Golden Spikes Award Watch List candidate Brandon Lawson (Brooksville, Fla.) on the mound against ECU righty Jimmy Boyd.
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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