TAMPA, MARCH 1, 2019 – The USF baseball team relied on its offense, which belted 12 hits to spark a 9-6 win against Western Michigan Friday night.
It was a back-and-forth night at the plate, as both offenses came to play early on. The Broncos (1-6) scored in the first, but were immediately answered in the bottom half on a
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) three-run homer to right.
The Broncos answered and retook the lead, scoring one in the second and three more in the top of the third. After trading runs over the next four frames, the Bulls (4-4) faced a 6-4 deficit in the bottom of the fifth.
Senior
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) got the Bulls back even with a two-run homer to left. Classmate
Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, then
Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) singled to advance him to third. A ground out in the next at-bat from freshman
Brandon Schrepf (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) allowed Chatfield to score what was ultimately the winning run.
The Bulls plated runs in the seventh and eighth to add to the cushion. Junior
Ben Koff (Gainesville, Fla.) was great out the bullpen, allowing two hits over 3.0 scoreless innings, and
Nelson Alvarez (Miami) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save as a Bull.
Key Stats
9 – USF had a season high nine run.
12 – The Bulls matched a season high with 12 hits.
5 – Five Bulls had multiple hits.
Nota-Bulls
- Phillips, Genord and junior Austin Bodrato (Northvale, N.J.) combined for six hits and seven RBI in the middle of the USF lineup.
- Chatfield had a career best two doubles, going 2-for-4 with a run.
- Dietrich had a season best two hits with a run.
- Koff picked up his second win of the year, and is now 2-1.
Up Next
The Bulls and Broncos continue the series tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.
Alec Wisely (Jacksonville) is expected to get the start for USF.
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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