CHAPEL HILL, N.C., FEB. 23, 2019 – The USF baseball team dropped a heartbreaker in extras the No. 6 UNC, 3-2, Saturday night in game one of the weekend series at Boshamer Stadium.
The Bulls (3-2) took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth on a
Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) single, scoring freshman
Dylan Buck (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) from second.
The Tar Heels (5-0) loaded the bases in the bottom half with
Ben Koff (Gainesvile, Fla.) on the mound. A hard grounder to first base almost blew the game open, but senior
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) made a great pick off of one hop, momentarily keeping the Bulls' ahead and in position of defeating their second top-10 team this week.
With
Nelson Alvarez (Miami) in to close the game in the bottom of the ninth, UNC took the first pitch of the frame over the left field wall, tying the game at 2-2. Still tied in the bottom the tenth, the Tar Heels again swung at the first pitch from Alvarez and drove a walk-off blast over the right field wall.
The Bulls scored early on preseason All-American righty Gianluca Dalatri, plating a two-out run in the first. Senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) walked on four pitches, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Genord scored him in the next at-bat.
Junior righty
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) was cruising through the first two innings, not allowing a hit while striking out four. UNC was able to tie the game in the third, but Sullivan remained strong, only allowing two hits in 6.2 innings.
Koff came into the game in the seventh, immediately recording a strikeout with a runner at second. He allowed one hit in 1.1 innings.
Notables
- Sullivan struck out seven and allowed the one run on two hits. He has 27 strikeouts and has allowed only three runs in the first 12.2 innings of the year.
- Buck had a career high two hits, going 2-for-4 with a run.
- USF nearly ended UNC's home winning streak, which now stands at 23.
Up Next
The Bulls and No. 6 Tar Heels finish the series with a doubleheader Sunday, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Alex Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) is set to get the ball in the first game.
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 continued the success under first-year head coach Billy Mohl in 2018, reaching 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls for the final two months. USF earned its third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. The team had four players drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program's fourth first rounder, Shane McClanahan. Junior third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11th round after tallying 24 doubles and hitting better than .370, being named first team all-conference and an All-American. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
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