FORT MYERS, MARCH. 22, 2017 – The University of South Florida baseball team outhit the No. 15 team in the nation on the road, but runs came at a premium and a solo homerun in the sixth ended up being the difference in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Florida Gulf Coast.

The Eagles (19-3) took a 1-0 lead in the second on a single that floated over the head of sophomore David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), scoring a man from third. But a beautiful diving catch from junior Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) left the bases juiced.

Starter Peter Strzelecki (Lake Worth, Fla.) settled down after that, allowing just two combined hits in the third, fourth and fifth innings. In the top of the sixth, the Bulls (20-2) put runners on the corners with no outs. But a line drive to first base turned into a double play to silence what could have been a big inning. Sophomore Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) brought home junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) from third to tie the game, though it was all USF would get.

After two in the bottom half, Spencer Levine homered to left field on a 3-2 count with no one on base. The Bulls put a pair of runners on in both the seventh and eighth, but could not knot the score and saw their 19-game winning streak snapped.

Key Stats

·         Merrell went 3-for-4 with a run scored.

·         Both Genord and Stunkel Jr. recorded a pair of hits.

·         Strzelecki logged 6.0 innings and gave up six hits while striking out four in his first game since March 12.

Notables

·         The Bulls' 19-game winning streak was the second longest in program history and the second-longest active streak in the nation.

·         Even with the loss, the 20-2 start is still the best in program history.   

·         Senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) saw his 21-game streak of reaching base safely come to an end.

·         The Bulls recorded double-digit hits for the 15th time this season. 

Up Next

USF returns home for the final non-conference home series of the season when it welcomes in Florida A&M University for three games beginning Friday 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 a 4-2 victory against No. 3 Florida State on Feb. 21.

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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