Offense Stays Hot, McClanahan Deals in 13-1 Win over Columbia
TAMPA, FLA., MARCH 2, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team kept things rolling offensively with a season-high 16 hits, backing up another stellar outing from redshirt sophomore lefty
Shane McClanahan, and took the series opener against Columbia 13-1 Friday.
The Bulls (5-4) continued their offensive surge in the first inning, plating two runs, both coming with two outs. For a second-straight game, junior
David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit a solo homerun, giving USF a 1-0 edge. In the next at-bat,
Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) smoked a triple down the right field line, then
JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) singled to bring him home.
The Bulls added three more in the second on four hits, capped by the first hit of 2018 from
Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), who drilled a two-run single to center. The Bulls made it 6-0 with a run in the third before the Lions (0-5) scored their first and only run in the fourth.
The game was blown open in the sixth inning, as USF batted around and put together a massive two-out rally after its first two batters grounded out. Stunkel Jr. bashed a double to deep left center to score the inning's first run, then Villar hit a double down the left field line to score a pair, making it 9-1. Chatfield followed with his second triple of the night to score Villar, then
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) hit a two-run double to make it 12-1.
The Bulls scored one in the eighth, and
McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) turned things over to the bullpen after 6.0 innings. The duo of
Connor Eason (Chesapeake, Va.) and
Ross Korosec (Winter Springs, Fla.) combined for the final 3.0 innings, allowing no hits and no runs.
Key Stats
1 – Korosec made his collegiate debut with his appearance in the ninth. He pitched a 1-2-3 frame.
3 – Phillips went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, as all three of his hits were doubles. He became the first Bull since 2013 to record three doubles in a game.
4 – Villar matched a career high with four hits, going a perfect 4-for-4. For the second-straight game, he was just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and has now homered in consecutive games. His three runs also tied a career high.
6 – McClanahan has gone 6.0 innings in all three of his starts. He struck out a season-high 12 men and has yet to allow an earned run this year.
10 – The Bulls recorded 10 extra-base hits on seven doubles, two triples and a homer.
12 – 12 of the Bulls' 13 runs came with two outs.
42 – USF has scored 42 runs over the last three games, matching the most runs it has scored in a three-game span since 2009.
53 – The Bulls have 53 hits in the last four games.
???????Quotables
Head coach Billy Mohl on Shane McClanahan setting the tone on the mound:
"Shane did what he always does, he went out and gave us a quality start. He was pounding the strike zone all night and the results speak for themselves."
Head coach Billy Mohl on the offense over the last few games:
"The bats are feeling good about themselves right now and taking quality at-bats. But tomorrow is a new day and they know not to be too high or too low, to just stay with the process and keep attacking each game."
Notables
- In his first game in nearly two weeks, Stunkel Jr. went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and three RBI.
- Chatfield went 2-for-4 for the second-straight game and joins classmate Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) as the second Bull to have two triples in the same game this season. Prior to Zech's feat on Wednesday at Bethune-Cookman, it had not been done by a Bull since 2015.
- Junior catcher Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. He hit his fifth double of the season and his fourth in as many games.
Up Next
USF and Columbia will play two on Saturday, with first pitch in game one of the doubleheader set for 2 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.
– #GoBulls –
