Box Score By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
CLEARWATER, Fla., MAY, 25, 2017 – USF nearly punched its ticket to the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals for the first time on Thursday night.
Fourth-seeded USF took a two-run lead into the ninth inning of a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to No. 8 seed East Carolina in the second round at Spectrum Field. USF (41-16) now turns its attention to an elimination game against rival UCF on Friday afternoon.
ECU's comeback spoiled a stellar night at the plate for senior Luke Borders, who drove in two of his three total runs in the sixth inning to give the Bulls a 5-3 lead.
After rallying past Tulane, 7-6, on Tuesday night, USF flipped the script by jumping out to an early lead against the Pirates (31-27). Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) hit an RBI groundout that plated leadoff man Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) in the midst of a 24-pitch first inning for ECU starter Trey Benton.
ECU tied things up in the bottom half of the first before Chris Chatfield showcased his power for the second straight game. The sophomore from Riverview, Fla., put USF back ahead with a solo shot to right field in the fourth. Chatfield's monster three-run homer to center field started the scoring for the Bulls on Tuesday night.
USF's bats heated back up during a three-run sixth inning that swung the lead back into the Bulls' favor. Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI double down the left field line. USF's two-out rally continued with Borders' two-run single to left-center on a 3-2 count.
Pinch hitter Kirk Morgan drove in the winning run with a bunt single to cap off a three-run ninth for ECU, which handed top-seeded UCF a 14-3 loss in the opening round.
Notables
- USF was 32-0 this season when leading after eight innings prior to Thursday night.
- Starter Shane McClanahan hit 98 mph on the radar gun numerous times in his first inning back on the mound since May 12 at UConn. The redshirt freshman left-hander from Cape Coral, Fla., gave up two unearned runs and a hit in 3.2 innings.
- McClanahan became the second Bull to record 100 strikeouts this season, joining Phoenix Sanders (102). McClanahan struck out five and now has the team lead with 104. Jon Alexander owns the single-season program record with 130 in 1986.
- Duke Stunkel Jr.'s team-leading 16th double of the season tied the game at 3-3 during USF's three-run sixth inning.
Key Stats
- Kevin Merrell raised his season average to .394 by going 2-for-4. USF's speedy leadoff man also scored two runs.
- All-conference DH Luke Borders went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a pair of walks.
Quotable
Head coach Mark Kingston's thoughts on his team after the tough loss:
“I told them I think they're if not the best team in the league, they're really close. We lost a heartbreaker tonight. That last inning was pretty tough for a lot of different reasons, it is what it is. We'll bounce back, we'll be just fine.”
Kingston on the Bulls' overall performance:
“We played extremely well. We hit well tonight, we played great defense, we pitched really, really well. The ninth inning, we just had some crazy things happen to us out of our control, so we're going to have to deal with it.”
Kingston on starter Shane McClanahan's return from an injury:
“Shane, it's been about a week and a half or two that he hasn't pitched, so it just took him a little time to settle in. Once he settled in, I thought he was really good. His velocity was up to 98 again, so the great thing to see is he was healthy.”
Complete post-game interview with coach Kingston.
Up Next
USF will try to secure Kingston's 100th win with the program at 3:00 p.m. Friday against rival UCF.
Tickets can be purchased at the Spectrum Field box office or by calling 727-467-4457. Fans out of town can catch the game online on the American Digital Network.
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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