TAMPA, MAY 8, 2016 – The University of South Florida baseball team (21-26, 6-12 The American) lost the series finale with Tulane 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. Infielder Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to seven and advanced his on-base streak to 13 in the defeat.
Tulane (31-14, 11-5) utilized a three-run second inning to take the early lead.
USF had a few opportunities in the onset to cut into the deficit but Green Wave right-hander Alex Massey escaped each threat. The redshirt-senior left two men aboard in the first, a runner in scoring position in each of the second and third innings, and an additional two runners in the fourth.
Down 3-0, USF starting pitcher Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) settled in to retire 13 of the next 14 batters he faced, keeping the Bulls within striking distance.
Facing the Bulls bullpen, Tulane added a run in the seventh for the final run of the afternoon.
Cavallaro (4-3) takes the loss, despite his seventh quality start of the season. He yielded three runs in his 6.0 innings of work, walking two and striking out seven.
Pitcher Tommy Eveld (Tampa) threw 3.0 innings in relief, striking out seven batters, two shy of his career high.
First baseman Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit his sixth double of the season, advancing his hit streak to three and on-base streak to five.
USF is on the road for their next four games. The Bulls will play at No. 1 Florida on Tuesday at 7 p.m. then begin a three game weekend series at No. 24 East Carolina on Friday.
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.
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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