TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 20, 2018 – The Bulls nearly repeated a ninth-inning comeback similar to last year's game at Florida State, but ultimately fell to the No. 5 team in the nation Tuesday, 5-2.

The Bulls (1-3) found themselves down 1-0 in the first inning, as junior Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) had to work out of a bases loaded jam. USF didn't need long to tie things up, when sophomore Carson Ragsdale (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) doubled to deep left center leading off the second. Two batters later, junior Chris Chatfield (Riverview Fla.) drove him home with a single through the right side.

USF then turned to its bullpen in the third and got 5.0 scoreless innings from Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.), Richie Cruz (Miami) and Kevin King (Orlando). But the Seminoles (4-0) finally got to King in the eighth with four runs on just one hit.

The Bulls began to remind the FSU fans about last season's ninth-inning comeback, as junior catcher Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) walked, followed by a Chatfield double to right center. FSU made two calls to the bullpen before USF loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate with one out. But the Bulls only plated one run in the final frame and fell 5-2.  

Key Stats
2 – Chatfield had two hits for the second-straight game. He has five hits in his last eight at-bats and is hitting .385 on the year.

4 – Yager has now tossed 4.0 scoreless innings in two appearances on the young season.
 
5 – Freshman reliever Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) has faced five batters this season, has yet to allow a hit and has thrown only 13 pitches.

7-5 – The Bulls outhit the Seminoles, 7-5.
 
Up Next
The Bulls return home on Friday at 7 p.m. for the start of a three-game series against Fordham.

About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls earned just their second and third wins over top-five ranked teams with victories against then-No. 3 Florida State and at then-No. 5 Florida during the 2017 season. During the 2017 season, USF reached the 40-win mark for the first time since 1996 and entered the top-25 in the major collegiate baseball polls for the first time since 2013. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 12 NCAA appearances.