Box Score TAMPA, FEB. 25, 2017 – Though it seemed out of reach with two outs in the ninth, the University of South Florida baseball team came back yet again, this time in dramatic fashion to complete the 18-inning sweep of Saturday's double-header against Miami (Ohio).
The Bulls (6-1) received a dominant pitching performance yet again from redshirt-freshman Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) and were able to drive in runs when it needed them to take the first game over the Redhawks (0-6) by a score of 7-2.
Game 2 looked like a pitcher's duel with four combined hits until the seventh inning, when the visitors were able to drive in two runs off freshman D.J. Roberts (Jacksonville) all with two outs in the frame. Starter Brad Schwartz had fanned 10 batters and was in rhythm, but needed over 130 pitches to do so as he had the Bulls down to their final strike in the ninth.
Sophomore Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) was the man at the dish with a 0-2 count and a runner on first. He took a fastball following two quick strikes and effortlessly demolished a ball well over the scoreboard in right field for the game tying homer.
Schwartz was taken out immediately after the bomb which brought in Spencer Mraz. Junior Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) doubled in the next at bat, setting up redshirt junior Andres Leal (Tampa). Having missed most of last season due to injury, Leal drove a ball up the middle of the infield and into center, allowing Stunkel to trot into home plate where he was bombarded by the rest of his teammates.
Quotables
Head coach Mark Kingston on the walkoff and Andres Leal's hit
“Andres is such a great kid, such a hard worker, it was great to see him rewarded for what he's done by getting the game-winning hit. I was very impressed with D.J. tonight, he showed great poise in his first career start. For us pitching and defense needs to be the foundation and we are certainly doing both very well right now.”
D.J. Roberts on his first collegiate start
“I was nervous at first but throughout the game I kept myself calm and felt like I had good stuff most of the night. We have the makeup of great team and Chris's homerun gave us life and energy but we had confidence going into the ninth that we were going to get it done.”
Key Stats
- McClanahan went 6.0 innings in game one, allowing just one hit for the second-straight time and nine strikeouts.
- Roberts logged 6.2 innings, gave up five hits, the two runs and struck out five.
- Junior Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) and sophomore closer Andrew Perez (Orlando) were magical out of the pen, as the former faced recorded four outs all by way of the K and the latter struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth in game 2.
- Chatfield's homer and Leal's walkoff were two of just six hits for the Bulls in game 2 after recording 11 hits in game 1.
- Stunkel went 3-for-4 in game 1 with a RBI and had the game-winning run in game 2.
- Junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) and sophomore Coco Montes (Miami) each went 2-for-4 in game one with a combined three RBI and three runs scored.
- Sophomore Garret Zech (Naples, Fla.) went 2-for-3 in the first game with three runs scored.
Up Next
USF and Miami (Ohio) conclude the four-game series tomorrow afternoon with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. Under the guidance of 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 Bulls won series from two ranked teams in 2016 (No. 21 East Carolina, No. 25 Michigan State, began the 2017 season with a series win over Iowa and earned just it's second win over a top-five team with Tuesday's 4-2 victory against No. 3 Florida State.
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 . For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
– #GoBulls –
