CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 17, 2018 – With the score tied, 6-6, in the eighth, Cincinnati scored four runs in the bottom half and went on to defeat the 24^th—ranked University of South Florida baseball team, 10-7, in Game 1 of the weekend's three-game series.

The Bulls (30-18-1, 12-9-1 The American) used the long ball to take leads of 1-0 and 3-2 early off the bats of JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) and then Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.). But the Bearcats (28-24, 12-10 The American) answered in both the bottom half of the second and third, retaking the lead, 4-3, entering the fourth.

USF loaded the bases with no outs in the top half, but Cincy was able to escape the threat. The Bearcats added to the lead with a solo homer in the fifth and were cruising along with two outs and no one on base in the top of the seventh.

A Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) walk was followed by consecutive singles from David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.), making it 5-4. The Bulls then tied it on a high chopper up the middle off the bat of Dutka with the bases loaded, and everyone was safe with Villar scoring.

After Cincy again took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, 6-5, Coco Montes (Miami) blasted a two-out homer to again tie the game, 6-6, in the eighth.

The Bearcats put two men on with no outs in the bottom half, then a bunt to the mound was dropped perfectly, the throw first sailed wide and allowed the go-ahead run to score. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, a triple cleared the bags, making it 10-6.  

Notables

• Montes and Genord each went 2-for-5. Genord finished with two RBI and hit their third and 11^th homers of the year, respectively.

Up Next
The Bulls and Bearcats will conclude the series on Friday with a doubleheader set to begin at noon. Saturday's game was moved due to expected rain.

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.