Box Score TAMPA, MARCH 26, 2017 – After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the University of South Florida baseball team scored the last seven runs including six in innings five-seven to win Sunday's rubber match against Florida A&M University, 7-1.
The Bulls (22-3) trailed early, as the Rattlers (15-9) got on the board in the first inning with a pair of hits and a walk. But senior righty Ryan Valdes (Tampa) was able to settle down to limit FAMU and allow his team to get a feel for the opposing Aubrey McCarty on the mound.
The Rattlers posed one last threat in the top of the fourth when they got the first two men on base with walks. But Valdes induced three-straight outs to strand the runners. The Bulls came to Valdes's aid in the fifth with two runs on three hits.
USF added two more runs in the sixth and seventh frames, as both in the seventh were produced with two outs and nobody on base. The bullpen logged the final 4.0 innings and gave up just one hit and a lone baserunner.
Key Stats
· Redshirt-junior Andres Leal (Tampa) went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI.
· Sophomore David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
· Classmate Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) went 1-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
· Valdes tossed 5.0 innings, gave up seven hits, one run and struck out six.
· The Bullpen of freshman Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.) and senior Mark Savarese (Palm City, Fla.) logged the final 4.0 and gave up just one hit.
Notables
· The Bulls picked up their sixth series win of the year and 22nd victory.
· Villar, Leal and Chatfield combined for six of the team's nine hits in the 6-7-8 holes, respectively.
· The Bulls had a 15-game winning streak against FAMU prior to Saturday's loss, but now hold a 47-4 edge in the all-time series.
Up Next
The Bulls will play their final non-conference game before AAC action begins, as they host Stetson Tuesday 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 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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