GAINESVILLE, FLA., May 8, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team led 6-0 after the second inning, but No. 1 Florida scored six runs over the sixth and seventh and held on for a 11-8 win.

The Bulls (29-16, 11-7 The American) made a strong run at their first win over a No. 1 ranked team, scoring four runs in the first innings. After loading the bases with one gone, junior Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) smashed a double off the left field wall, scoring Coco Montes (Miami) and Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.).

Consecutive walks from JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) and Kyle Phillips (Orlando) brought in Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) from third, making it 3-0. A Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) sac fly made it 4-0 before the Gators (39-11, 18-6 SEC) took their first swings.

USF added to the lead in the second following back-to-back singles from Stunkel Jr. and David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.). Chatfield came up with two in scoring position and he singled through the left, scoring Stunkel Jr. and Villar to make it 6-0.

Florida got closer with four runs over the next two innings, making it 6-4 in the fifth. Dutka and Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) both got in in the top half, then Montes and Stunkel Jr. each had RBI singles to give the Bulls a 8-4 lead heading into the sixth.

Florida's offense came alive in the bottom half of the sixth, as a three-run homer to right made it 8-7. USF had a chance to add to the lead in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but three were stranded.

The Gators tied the game after a second-straight single to start the bottom half. In the next at-bat, Deacon Liput reached on a bunt single to the mound, then a throwing error sailed over Genord's head, scoring two, giving Florida its first lead, 10-8. The Gators added another in the eighth, and their closer Michael Byrne was able to close out the slugfest.

Key Stats

14 – The Bulls tallied 14 hits, the 24^th they had double-digit hits in 2018. USF had 13 hits against the Gators in the 2017 regular-season meeting.
4 – Chatfield's four RBI were a career high.
5 – Five Bulls had multi-hit nights.

Notables

• Montes and Stunkel Jr. led the offense with three hits apiece, combining for three runs and two RBI.
• Genord, Chatfield and Dietrich each had two hits and each scored a run.

Up Next
The Bulls travel to Kansas for a weekend series at Wichita St., beginning Friday at 7:30 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.