GREENVILLE, N.C., MAY 15, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (23-28, 8-13 The American) erased a four-run deficit at No. 21 East Carolina on Sunday to claim a 6-5 series-clinching road win.
Pitcher Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) tossed 7.0 innings for the Bulls and designated hitter Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth with a go-ahead home run.
It is the second series victory over a ranked team this season for the Bulls who also secured a series victory over No. 25 Michigan State on March 20.
“I thought Joe Cavallaro and Tommy Eveld, besides one inning, were outstanding,” said USF head baseball coach Mark Kingston, “and obviously Luke Borders with the big home run and a big day to help lead us to the victory.”
The Bulls went ahead in the second inning after outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) drew a bases loaded walk.
Down 1-0, No. 21 ECU (31-19-1, 12-8-1) responded with a five-run bottom of the second.
Trailing by four, USF cut into the deficit on a Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) two-run home run in the third. It was his fourth home run of the season and pulled the Bulls within two.
Genord also sparked a game-tying rally in the fourth. His two-out hit by pitch, a fielding error and a walk loaded the bases for infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.), who evened up the score with a two-run double to right field.
Deadlocked at five, Borders put USF ahead with a sixth inning solo home run to right-center field. His third home run in as many days and sixth home run of the year pushed the Bulls ahead of the Pirates 6-5.
Cavallaro settled down following a second inning blip. The junior right-hander retired seven hitters in a row through the middle innings and also induced double plays in the third and sixth innings to keep the Pirates from pulling away.
Leading 6-5, reliever Tommy Eveld (Tampa) took over for Cavallaro in the eighth. The redshirt-junior turned an inning-ending double play to complete the eighth and kept the tying run at first in the ninth to preserve the victory.
Cavallaro (5-3) threw 7.0 innings for the win. The only runs he allowed were in the second inning and he retired 12 of the final 13 hitters he faced.
Merrell walked a career-high tying three times and paired that with two hits. The sophomore infielder has now hit safely in 11 straight games and reached base in 17 consecutive contests.
Borders matched his season high with three hits, reaching base four total times on Sunday. The junior designated hitter made his case for The American Player of the Week going 7-for-14 in the series with five runs scored, three home runs hit, seven RBIs and a stolen base.
Genord ended the day 2-for-3 with a career-high three runs scored. He also posted a home run and two RBIs as well.
The next home game for USF will be a midweek tilt with Jacksonville on Tuesday. 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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