Baseball May 07, 2016 USF

Montes Homers in 7-1 Loss to No. 16 Tulane

By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, MAY 7, 2016 – Brandon Lawson gave USF another quality start and Coco Montes homered in the Bulls' 7-1 home loss to No. 16 Tulane on Saturday night.

Redshirt junior Jeremy Montalbano led the upperclassmen-heavy Tulane lineup with three homers to help the Green Wave (30-14, 10-5) secure the series victory. USF (21-25, 6-11) has lost just two home series out of nine so far this season.

“We're in a build mode right now, whether we like it or not, much like (Tulane) was two years ago. They're getting the rewards of that process,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “It's a good team we played tonight. I want our guys to understand what we're going through right now, they've been there, and that's where we're going to be very soon.”

Lawson (4-4) struck out eight and gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings. The junior right-hander from Brooksville, Fla., has gone at least six innings in each of his 11 starts this season.

“Lawson was solid. Both pitchers, I thought, threw pretty well,” Kingston said. “They just got more big hits than we did, obviously the big home runs. It was the story last night, it was the story again tonight.”

Montalbano's solo homers in the second and fifth innings spotted Tulane a 2-0 lead that was cut in half by Montes in the bottom of the fifth.

Montes, a freshman shortstop from Miami, drove a 1-0 pitch over the 400-feet sign in center field for his second homer of the season. Montes has hit both of his homers against ranked teams this season, with the first coming in a 7-5 win over No. 25 Michigan State on March 20.

Tulane extended its lead to 4-1 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, which marked the final frame for Lawson. Reliever Andrew Perez (Orlando) struck out four and gave up three earned runs on six hits in the final three innings.

Freshman David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) was the lone Bull to collect multiple hits by going 2-for-4. Freshman Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) hit a double in the first, while Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) and Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) also finished with a hit apiece.

The Bulls look to bounce back during Sunday's series finale that's set for a 1 p.m. start at USF Baseball Stadium. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

Fans are welcome to stay after the game to support USF softball player Meredith Bissette's cause during the “Chordoma, C 'U' Later! Home Run Derby” at USF Softball Stadium. Bissette, a sophomore infielder, was recently diagnosed with cancer and began her treatment in Boston this week. Fans can bid on items during a silent auction and donate online at gofundme.com/MereBearStrong. Learn more about Sunday's event HERE.

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.