WICHITA ST., KS., May 13, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team and Wichita St. battled for nearly 11 innings and more than four hours, but Sunday's rubber match ultimately ended in a tie due to time constraints, 9-9.

The Bulls (30-17-1, 12-8 The American) scored in the first a bit unconventionally when Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) each walked, then advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. A second wild pitch sailed to the backstop, allowing Stunkel Jr. to score.

The Shockers (32-17-1, 7-13-1 The American) responded in a big way with three runs in the bottom half, forcing USF to turn to the bullpen. Sophomore lefty Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.) came on and held Wichita St. scoreless for the next three innings.

The Bulls responded with their own big inning in the second. Loading the bases with no outs, Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) singled through the right, scoring Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) and JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.). Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) singled in the next at-bat to give USF a 4-3 edge before an RBI grounder from Stunkel Jr. made it 5-3.

Villar led off the fifth with a towering homer to deep left center, pushing the Bulls ahead, 6-3. The Shockers finally got to Yager in the bottom half, scoring two runs to make it 6-5. But USF again responded with another big inning in the seventh. Zech led off with a homer to left center, Dietrich followed with a double and Coco Montes (Miami) drove him home to put the Bulls on top, 8-5.

Wichita St. would not go down quietly. Trailing, 9-5, in the seventh, the hosts scored to make it 9-6. Preseason All-American Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer in the eighth, getting the Shockers within one, 9-8. Then fellow preseason all-conference and All-American Greyson Jenista tied things up with a double two batters later.

Both sides put two runners on in the ninth, but couldn't capitalize, sending the game into extras. USF again had two runners aboard in the top of the 11^th, when Kyle Phillips (Orlando) and Zech each singled, then advanced into scoring position with one out. But Wichita St. was able to escape, and nearing the drop dead time, the game ended following the conclusion of the top half.

Key Stats

10 – The Bulls tallied 16 hits, the 27^th they had double-digit hits in 2018. USF did so in all four games of the week.
8 – USF had a very balanced offense, as eight of the nine starters in the lineup scored a run.
4 – A day after Stunkel Jr. had a career0best four hits, Phillips did the same, going 4-for-6 with a run.  
6-9 – The Bulls got tremendous production from the bottom of the lineup, as Dutka, Phillips, Zech and Dietrich combined for 12 hit, five runs and five RBI.
2015 – USF's last tie was on Feb. 22, 2015 at home against Wagner

Notables

• Villar's homer was his 12^th of the season. The Bulls had four doubles and now have 115 this season.
• Zech and Dutka each had three hits, and the formers home run was his sixth of the season.

Up Next
The Bulls begin the final week of the regular season at FGCU Tuesday at 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.