TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 25, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team only scored in three innings, but all three were big frames, as the offense came to play and helped clinch the series against Fordham with Sunday's 13-4 drubbing.

The Bulls (3-4) faced an early 2-0 deficit when the Rams (3-3-1) scattered four hits across the first two innings. But the home offense got going in the third, loading the bases with one out. David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit a sac fly in the next at-bat to get the scoring started. Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) followed with a single through the left side to tie the game, bringing up JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.). The junior transfer bashed a three-run opposite field homer to right center, putting the Bulls ahead for good.

The outburst continued in the fourth inning, as the Bulls loaded the bases with no outs on three-straight singles. Junior Alec Wisely (Jacksonville) grounded to short, scoring a run which made it 6-2, Kyle Phillips (Orlando) walked with the bases loaded, then Villar notched his second sac fly to make it 8-2.

The Rams did score two in the top of the eighth, making it 8-4. But the Bulls made sure there would be no comeback by answering with five more runs in the bottom half, capped by a bases-clearing three-run double by freshman Graham Hoffman (Tampa).

Key Stats

3 – The Bulls loaded the bases in all three of the innings in which they scored.
4 – Junior Coco Montes (Miami) matched classmate Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) with a career-best 4-for-4 day. Dietrich did the same in Saturday's win.
8 – For the second time this season, all eight of USF's position starters either scored a run or drove in a run.
13 – The Bulls set season highs with 13 hits and 13 runs. It marked the third game of 10 or more hits this season.
23 – USF is now 23-1-1 in non-conference home series since 2012.

Notables

• Dietrich went 2-for-5 on the day with a run scored. He went 6-for-11 in the series (.545).
• Chatfield went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI. He's hitting .375 on the year.
• Dutka had just one hit, but finished with two runs, four RBI and three walks.
• Redshirt-sophomore righty Dylan Burns (Vero Beach, Fla.) made his first appearance since 2016, strking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
• The Bulls bullpen combined for 5.0 innings allowing four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.   

Up Next
USF again heads on the road for a midweek matchup, this time taking on Bethune-Cookman Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m.    

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.