TAMPA, MARCH 2, 2019 – Down, 6-4, in the eighth, the USF baseball team scored the final three runs, capped by a walk-off courtesy of senior
Joe Genord to secure the series against Western Michigan with Saturday's 7-6 win.
Trailing by a pair of runs in the eighth inning, 6-4, senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) doubled with one out to get the Bulls (5-4) going in the frame. Two batters later, freshman
Brandon Schrepf (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) turned on a 2-2 pitch and sent his first collegiate homer over the left field fence, tying the game.
Junior righty
Nelson Alvarez (Miami) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, setting USF up for a chance in the bottom half. Back-to-back walks with two outs sparked a rally, bringing up Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) for a chance to play hero. The senior delivered with a single to center, scoring freshman
Alex Bello (Miami) from second.
USF got going in the first inning once again behind yet another homer from Phillips on a two-run shot to right. In the very next at-bat, Genord wasted little time and cranked on his third homer of the season, a solo shot to left.
The Broncos (1-6) meticulously cut into the lead with runs in the second and sixth. In the top of the seventh, Western Michigan stormed ahead with four runs on just three hits to take a 6-3 lead.
Senior
Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) got the Bulls closer with a solo shot to center in the bottom half. Junior lefty
Logan Lyle (Bartow, Fla.) pitched a scoreless eighth, setting USF up for the comeback in the next two frames.
Key Stats
10 – The Bulls have double-digit hit outputs in each of the first two games of the series after tallying 12 Friday night.
5 – Genord now has 35 career home runs as a Bull, moving into fifth place in program history.
2 – Phillips and Genord have each homered in back-to-back games, the first Bulls to do so since April 22 of last year.
4 – Four Bulls had multiple hits.
Nota-Bulls
- The seniors led the way, as Genord, Phillips, Zech and Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) all had two hits, combining for five RBI and four runs.
- Genord, Phillips and Chatfield each have four hits over the first two games of the series.
- The Bulls are 5-1 at home this season.
Up Next
The series concludes tomorrow at 1. Sophomore
Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) is on the mound for USF, his first weekend start and first appearance since knocking off No. 5 Florida on Feb. 19.
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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