TAMPA, FLA., MARCH 17, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team extended its no-hit streak to 14.2 before finally allowing runs in the sixth inning, but remained in control all night and defeated Army, 5-2, Saturday to clinch the weekend series.  

The Bulls (14-6) had a big first inning for the second-straight night with consecutive hits, putting men in scoring position with no outs. David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit a sac fly to score Coco Montes (Miami) from third, then Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) smashed a triple to score Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), making it 2-0.

Junior Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) had the first of his two hits in the next at-bat, scoring Chatfield to make it 3-0. Genord then extended USF's lead in the fifth. Villar singled to lead off the frame, and three batters later, Genord ripped a line-drive homer to left, making it 5-0.

Redshirt senior right hander Peter Strzelecki (Lake Worth, Fla.) did not allow a hit through the first 5.2 innings and was cruising with nine strikeouts up to the final out in the sixth. The Black Knights (7-10) had three-straight hits, ending the USF streak, while scoring two runs to make it 5-2.

???????Strzelecki struck out another in a quick seventh, then junior closer Andrew Perez (Orlando) came in with two outs in the eighth and closed the door, securing the Bulls' seventh-straight win.

Quotables

Head coach Billy Mohl on Peter Strzelecki's start:
"Every time Pete pitches it feels like we play a two hour and fifteen minute game. He pounds the strike zone, had no walks and 11 strikeouts. He gave up a few hits in the sixth, but overall he had good stuff and pitched well."

Head coach Billy Mohl on another hot start offensively:
 "It's great getting off to starts like that. Our pitchers can relax a little bit and worry about throwing strikes with less stressful pitches throughout the game."

Head coach Billy Mohl talking about Joe Genord and Duke Stunkel Jr. getting back to the flow of things after missing time early in the year:
"Those guys just don't have as many at-bats as everyone else, but they're starting to get those and feel more comfortable and swinging the bats really well because of it."

Key Stats

4 – Genord has now homered in four-straight games, making him the first Bull to do so in program history.
10 – The Bulls had 10 hits for the 12^th time this season.
11 – Strzelecki struck out 11 batters and did not allow a walk in 7.0 innings. He has 23 strikeouts in his last two starts.
1-6 – The first six in the Bulls' lineup accounted for all 10 of the hits.
3 – Perez pitched a perfect 1.1 in picking up his third save of the season. He struck out three of the four batters he retired.

Notables

• Montes finished 3-for-4 with a run scored.
• Stunkel Jr. also had three hits with a double and a run.
• Chatfield's triple was his third of the year.
• Genord went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Up Next
USF and Army wrap up the final non-conference series of the season Sunday at 1 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.