TAMPA, Fla., MAY 21, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (23-31, 8-16 The American) completed the 2016 regular season with a 3-2 loss to UConn on Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the game, USF honored their four seniors – pitcher Michael Clarkson (Oldsmar, Fla.), pitcher Hayden Kelley (Tampa), pitcher Brad Labozzetta (Lakeland, Fla.) and outfielder Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) – awarding each of them a framed jersey from their playing career with the Bulls.
Infielder David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit a two-run home run in the game for USF and designated hitter Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) tallied two hits as well for the Bulls.
UConn (33-22,14-9) went ahead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly.
Down 1-0, USF tried to even up the score in the bottom half when outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) led off with a bunt single and stole second. Once the throw squeaked into center field, Zech tried for third but was thrown out on a close play.
Bulls starter Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) kept the deficit at one run through his 5.0 innings of work. He yielded just four hits in the no decision.
USF then snatched the lead from the Huskies in the bottom of the fifth on Villar's two-run home run to right-center field. His fifth home run of the year, and first since April 10, handed the Bulls a 2-1 edge.
The advantage held until the seventh when UConn plated two more runs against the USF bullpen.
Ahead 3-2, the Huskies bullpen held the lead over the final innings to claim the one-run victory.
Clarkson (1-4) receives the loss after allowing two runs in 1.1 innings.
Infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) finished 0-for-4, snapping his hitting streak at 13 and on-base streak at 19.
Luke Borders notched his sixth multi-hit game of the season.
With the regular season complete, the Bulls will now compete in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. The tournament begins on Tuesday, May 24. USF's first game will be on Wednesday, May 25 at 11 a.m. The opponent is yet to be determined.
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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