TAMPA, APRIL 20, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team dropped a pitcher's duel to rival UCF, 1-0, in the first game of this weekend's War On I-4 series.

The Knights (27-12, 7-6 The American) did just enough in the first inning with a pair of hits and the game's only run. A triple put a runner at third with one out, then a passed ball brought him home.

The Bulls (24-14, 7-6 The American) got their first hit in the second inning on a Kyle Phillips (Orlando) double to right. But both sides were stout from that point on.

There were a combined seven baserunners from that point on. USF had its best chance to get even with runners at the corners in the fourth, but did not capitalize.   

Key Stats

10 – Redshirt sophomore Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) allowed the lone and two hits in the first, but still struck out the side and fanned 10. It was his fifth game of the season with double-digit strikeouts.  
3.0 – Junior righty Richie Cruz (Miami) pitched the final 3.0 innings and did not allow a baserunner, while striking out four.

Up Next
The War on I-4 continues with game two scheduled for at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.     

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.