Box Score TAMPA, APRIL 30, 2017 – The University of South Florida baseball team came back late with a four-run seventh to take the game's final lead to win the series against No. 23 Houston.
Much like Saturday night, the Cougars (28-15, 9-6 the American) jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first two innings. The Bulls (34-10, 9-6 the American) got one back in the third, but remained down by three after Houston scored in the seventh to make it 4-1.
USF put two men on with one out in the bottom half. Junior Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) singled to score sophomore Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) from second, then sophomore Coco Montes (Miami) bunted to first with redshirt-junior Andres Leal (Tampa) on third. The throw went home but it was not in time, allowing Leal to tap home plate.
With the score reading 4-3, senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) came through with the hit of the day, as he launched a two-run double to the track in right center, making it 5-4.
The USF bullpen closed the door in the final two innings to secure the series win.
Key Stats
- Borders went 2-for-3 with three RBI and now leads the conference with 44 runs batted in.
- Stunkel Jr. tallied three hits for a second-straight game, as he scored a run and drove in one.
- Leal and sophomore David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) each went 2-for-3. Leal scored twice.
- Redshirt-freshman Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) tossed 6.1 innings, allowed six hits and four runs, but struck out eight. He gave up three runs in the first two innings, then settled down to retire 12-of-14 at one point and 10 in a row.
- Sophomore Andrew Perez (Orlando) logged 1.1 innings, gave up just one hit and struck out two, as he picked up the win.
- Junior Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) tossed the final 1.1 and earned his third save of the season.
Notables
- USF is currently in a four-way tie for first in The American standings.
- The Bulls have now won all three rubber games of the season, each one coming at home.
Joe Cavallaro post-game.
Up Next
The Bulls enter their final week at home and begin with their final home midweek game, hosting Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday at 6:30.
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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