TAMPA, MARCH 25, 2017 – After the tying the game in the bottom of the eighth to force extras, the University of South Florida baseball team caught a pair of runners stealing in the 11th, but a wild sequence allowed a run to sneak home which was the difference in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Florida A&M University.

The Bulls (21-3) put two men into scoring position in the first inning, but stranded both to begin what would end up being a real pitcher's duel for much of the contest. The sides combined for just four hits over the first 3 1/2 frames until the hosts tallied a pair in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead on a sac fly.  

But the Rattlers (15-8) took their first lead in the series in the next half inning on a two-run homer to left field, making it 2-1. USF would not a see a baserunner again until the seventh, but needed to wait until the eighth for a scoring chance. After loading the bases with one gone, another sac fly scored a run to tie the game before a line drive to third ended the threat, stranding two men in scoring position.

The Bulls and Rattlers each put two on in the ninth but neither could plate a run, sending the action into extras. FAMU got a man on in the bottom of the 11th, who then stole second.

After a walk was issued, the two runners were caught in a run down. Sophomore Andrew Perez (Orlando) threw to second, the ball then went to first to get the runner on first, but the runner who was on second was now rounding third, prompting a throw home. After a throw to sophomore David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) at third, a final throw was sent back home but the lead runner was able to get behind catcher Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) to score the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run.

Villar doubled in the bottom of the 11th with one out, but he was stranded on second to end the game.  

Key Stats

·         Senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI, as he was the only Bull with multiple hits.

·         Sophomore Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) had the other run and went 1-for-3.

·         Redshirt-freshman Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) logged 7.0 innings for a second-straight outing, gave up two runs on four hits while striking out 10 men.

·         Perez was unfortunately credited with the loss, as he pitched 2.1 innings, gave up just one hit and the wild run. He struck out four.

Notables

·         The Bulls have not played in two extra innings games this season (1-1).

·         Tonight marked the first time since March 3 that Bulls had to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

·         USF has now lost more games this week than it had the first five weeks of the season.

·         The Bulls can still clinch their sixth-straight series victory to open the season tomorrow.

·         Thought USF only totaled seven hits, six different players recorded a hit.

Up Next

The Bulls and Rattlers will play the rubber game of this three-game set Sunday at 2:00 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 a 4-2 victory against No. 3 Florida State on Feb. 21. The win over FSU was part of the best start in program history thanks to a 19-game winning streak, the second-longest in USF Baseball records.

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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