TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2017 – Despite nine strikeouts from redshirt freshman Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.), the University of South Florida baseball team was outdone by a near three-hour rain delay and a two-run homer in the ninth inning, falling to Iowa, 4-2, Saturday afternoon.

McLanahan fanned nine and allowed one hit in a limited 4.0 innings and 73 pitches, as caution was heeded in his first game since missing all of last season due to injury. Junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) paced the Bulls' (1-1) offense with a 2-for-4 day, senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) went 1-for-4 with an RBI and sophomore Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) went 1-for-4 with a solo blast.

Merrell led the charge in USF's first at bat with a triple. Two batters later, Borders drove him home with a soft groundout to short. McClanahan began to settle in after surrendering two base runners in the first inning, as he allowed just two to reach base in his final three innings.

Senior Ryan Valdes (Tampa) came in to pitch the fifth, but gave up back-to-back homeruns to left field off the bats of Mason McCoy and Jake Adams. Just prior the fifth inning concluding, the rain began to pour, thus prompting a lengthy rain delay.

Out of the weather delay, Genord took Cole McDonald deep in the bottom half of the seventh to tie the game. Senior Michael Farley (Valrico, Fla.) had pitched very well in the seventh and eighth, retiring six of the seven batters he faced. But Chris Whelan doubled to left center to lead off the ninth, then Kyle Crowl turned on a fastball and sent it over the fence in left center to put Iowa ahead, 4-2.

The Bulls threatened in the ninth, putting two on with no one out. But a 4-6-3 double-play and a strikeout ensued to end the inning and the game.

Key Stats

1 – Genord hit the Bulls' first homerun of the year in the seventh inning of today's loss. The sophomore was tied for second on the team with six deep balls last season.

2 – Merrell has now recorded two hits in each of the season's first two games.

8 – McClanahan sent down eight-straight by way of the strikeout at one point, striking out the side in the second and third frames.

Quotables

Freshman Shane McClanahan on his collegiate debut:

“I felt really good and knowing that I have everyone behind me backing me up just gave me a ton of confidence. Hopefully, I can keep my pitch count down my next time out, certainly only four innings wasn't a lot. The nerves were pretty high that first at bat, but after that I settled in and it's just baseball from there.”

Notables

-       USF is now 3-1 against Iowa all-time.

-       Borders has driven in at least one run in both games of this year.

-       Four bulls are hitting over .333 after the season's first two contests.

Up Next

The Bulls play the rubber game against the Hawkeyes on Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for noon.

Fans can purchase season tickets, flex plans and single-game tickets at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls. 

About USF Baseball

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 in 2015 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 were everyday starters in 2016 including outfielder Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.), who led the team in home runs, and catcher Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.), who was named the 2016 PGCBL Player of the Year. 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 .