TAMPA, FEB. 26, 2017 – Despite yielding the game's first run in the opening frame, the University of South Florida baseball team (7-1) showed great patience at the dish and produced timely hits to score 11-straight runs, completing a four-game weekend sweep of Miami (Ohio) with Saturday's 11-2 win.

The Redhawks (0-7) got to junior Peter Strzelecki (Lake Worth, Fla.) early with an Adam Yacek leadoff single up the middle to cap an 11-pitch at bat. Two outs put him on third, then a passed ball allowed him to score the first run.

But Strzelecki would settle down after the first inning, as he went to his slider and breaking ball to record five-consecutive strikeouts, putting down the batters swinging.  

The USF bats came to the support of their starter much earlier than Saturday's game 2 walkoff victory. The momentum from the dramatic win less than 24 hours prior carried, as sophomore Coco Montes (Miami) tied the score five pitches into the bottom half of the inning with an opposite field homerun that carried over right field fence.

In his first at bat since the game-tying two-run blast Saturday night, Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) gave the Bulls a lead they would not let up with yet another deep homerun over the right field fence.

After tacking on another run in the third, the Bulls blew the game open in the 4th with four runs. Sophomore Garret Zech (Naples, Fla.) doubled to the fence in left to score Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and last night's hero Andres Leal (Tampa). Junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) doubled to left to bring home Zech and Montes singled to center bringing in Merrell.

The Redhawks had their best chance to cut into the lead in the sixth against freshman Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.), loading the bases with one away. But Yager induced a shallow fly ball to right and grounder to third to get out of the jam. The Bulls would add three more in the seventh and a run in the eighth before it was all said and done.

Quotables

Head coach Mark Kingston and the four-game sweep

“I told the team before the game, you want to pitch well, play great defense and score a lot of runs and we executed in all three of those areas today. The sweep is nice but there are areas we can get better at and it's a constant growing process and we will focus on how can continue to improve.”  

Coco Montes on his 3-for-4 day, his homerun and the team's six-game win streak

“I'm playing with a lot of confidence right now, seeing the ball well and have a year under my belt which is the biggest difference for me. I think last night's ninth-inning with Chatfield's homerun and the walkoff carried over into today.”

Key Stats

· The Bullpen allowed just three hits through 5.0 innings.

· The middle infield of Merrell and Montes were the catalyst for the offense in the 1-2 holes, combined both going 3-for-4 with a combined three RBI and three runs.

· Stunkel went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Zech had two RBI and a run.

· Junior Cam Crabbe (White Plains, N.Y.) came in a defensive sub in the eight, had one at bat which was a solo homerun to left in the eighth inning.

· Redshirt junior infielder Clay Simmons (Center Hill, Fla.) had one at bat, pinch hitting for Merrell in the seventh, as he drove in a run with an RBI double down the left field line.

Notables

· The Bulls improve to 5-0 all-time against Miami (Ohio).

· The six-game win streak marks the longest for USF since the 2014 season.

· The 7-1 start ties the best eight-game start since the 2014 season.  

· The middle infield of Merrell and Montes were the catalyst for the offense in the 1-2 holes, combined both going 3-for-4 with a combined three RBI and three runs.

· The Bulls scored double-digit runs for the first time since March 4, 2016 with the 11 plated today.

Up Next

USF remains home for a three-game set against Toledo beginning Friday, March 3 at 6:30 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.

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