Box Score MEMPHIS, TENN., APRIL 23, 2017 – The University of South Florida baseball team quickly erased a 2-0 deficit with six runs in the second and led 11-2 at one point, ultimately taking game one of Sunday's doubleheader at Memphis, 11-6.
With leading hitter Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) already out of the lineup, redshirt-freshman Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) was forced to leave the game after facing the first batter. The Tigers (21-19, 3-8 American) hit a two-run shot off Ryan Valdes (Tampa) in the first, and the first game of the doubleheader looked shaky just three men in.
The Bulls (32-7, 7-4 American) responded by scoring six runs in the top of the second, ignited by a three-run home run from sophomore Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.). After adding runs in the third and fifth, USF loaded the bases three different times in the sixth and plated three more to lead 11-2.
Memphis got four back in the bottom half behind a two-out rally. But it was too much of a hurdle to overcome, as the Bulls held on.
Key Stats
· Chatfield was just a triple short of the cycle, as he went 3-for-3 with two runs and a career-high five RBI.
· Senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) went 3-for-5 for the second-straight game. He scored a run and drove in one.
· Sophomores Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.), Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) and Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) each had two hits with a RBI and run scored.
· Valdes logged 4.0 innings and struck out four.
Notables
· The Bulls improve to 6-3 on the road and 25-20 all-time against the Tigers.
· The six run second marks the 15th inning this season that the Bulls have scored at least four runs. It is the third-most runs they have scored in an inning this year.
· Valdes improves to 8-0 on the season.
· The Bulls tallied double-digit hits for the 22nd time this season and double-digit runs for the seventh time.
· The win also clinches USF's first series win at Memphis since 2000.
Chris Chatfield on his 3-for-3, five RBI day.
Up Next
The Bulls and Tigers conclude the series with game two of today's doubleheader.
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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