TAMPA, MAY 6, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (21-24, 6-10) struck out 16 hitters on the night but the Tulane Green Wave claimed the series opener 9-4 on Friday evening.
Tulane (29-14, 9-5) went ahead early with a run in the first and two more in the second.
Trailing by three, USF cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the second on a Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) RBI single up the middle.
The Bulls then pulled within one on a solo home run from outfielder Luke Maglich (Sarasota, Fla.) in the fourth. His second home run of the year, a towering blast off the top of the right field scoreboard, made Tulane's lead shrink to 3-2.
The Green Wave then threatened to pull away in the fifth. Tulane loaded the bases with one out but Bulls' starter Phoenix Sanders (Gainesville, Fla.) struck out Hunter Hope and infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) made a diving stop up the middle for an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Sanders exited following the fifth. He yielded three runs on seven hits in the defeat. Sanders (5-4) also walked three and struck out eight.
Leading 3-2, Tulane extended the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth.
Down by three, USF answered back in the seventh on a two-run double from infielder Coco Montes (Miami). The Bulls also had the tying run at second and the go ahead run at first but the Green Wave ended the rally by turning an inning-ending double play.
Ahead 5-4, Tulane posted four runs in the eighth to increase the advantage.
Down to their final at-bat, the Bulls loaded the bases in the ninth but Green Wave reliever Patrick Duester got out of the jam to preserve the Tulane victory.
Eight Bulls players notched at least one hit each.
Merrell finished 1-for-2 with three walks, a new career best. He advanced his hit streak to five and on-base streak to 11.
With an eighth inning single, Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) now has a seven game hitting streak.
Maglich has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games.
With two RBIs, Montes posted the first multi-RBI performance of his career.
Pitcher Brad Labozzetta (Lakeland, Fla.) yielded six runs in 3.0 innings of work. Pitcher Garrett Bye (Riverview, Fla.) struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth.
The Bulls will look to even up the series on Saturday. USF right-hander Brandon Lawson (Brooksville, Fla.) will be on the mound against Tulane lefty Ross Massey. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium.
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. Five players from that recruiting class are everyday starters in 2016 including outfielder Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.), who leads the team in home runs, and outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.), who has the most sacrifice bunts in the country. 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), visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information, and purchase tickets for upcoming games at USFBullsTix.com .
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