By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla., MAY 23, 2018 – Coco Montes went 2-for-3 and drove in both of second-seeded USF's runs in a 4-2 loss to seventh-seeded Wichita State at the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Wednesday.

Montes (Miami) and Kyle Phillips (Orlando) accounted for four of No. 24 USF's seven total hits in the program's opening game of the tournament at Spectrum Field. USF (32-19-1) will play an elimination game 4 p.m. Wednesday against Cincinnati or UConn behind Spectrum Field at Robin Roberts Field.

Wichita State (35-19-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and USF tied things up in the next frame with an RBI double by all-conference pick Montes.

The Shockers used a two-run double to take a 3-1 lead in the seventh before the Bulls cut into their deficit in the bottom half of the inning. Montes made Wichita State pay for a two-base error by roping an RBI single to right field.

Wichita State extended its lead to 4-2 in the eighth and USF ended up stranding seven runners after leaving the bases loaded in the first and fourth frames.

Ace Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) boosted the Bulls early, striking out six and surrendering one earned run in five innings.

Quotable
Head coach Billy Mohl's thoughts on the Bulls' opening game and next test at the conference tournament:
"It's the first time in a long time the offense kind of struggled a bit. But you know what, we've got another game this afternoon and they'll bounce back."

"We've been in the same situation. We've lost a lot of first games and came back and won the next two. It's nothing new to this club."

Key Stats
7 – USF stranded seven runners after leaving the bags packed in the first and fourth innings.
4 – Coco Montes and Kyle Phillips combined to post four of USF's seven total hits.

Notables

• Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single up the middle in the first inning.
• USF is ranked No. 24 in this week's Perfect Game poll. The Bulls have been in at least one national poll for five straight weeks.
• USF entered the game tied for the national lead with 132 doubles and got another from Coco Montes in the second inning.
• Montes ranks second on the team with 19 doubles this season.
• Shane McClanahan moved up to fourth on USF's single-season strikeout chart with 117. Jon Alexander owns the program record with 130 strikeouts in 1986.

Up Next
 
USF will face third-seeded UConn or sixth-seeded Cincinnati 4 p.m. Wednesday at Robin Roberts Field, located behind Spectrum Field.

All-conference selection Peter Strzelecki is slated to get the start. The senior right-hander from Lake Worth, Fla., is 8-3 this season with 90 strikeouts in 80.2 innings of work.
 
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 Bulls have continued the success under first-year head coach Billy Mohl in 2018, reaching the 30-win mark, while being ranked in multiple polls since mid-April. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 12 NCAA appearances.