TAMPA, FLA., MARCH 24, 2019 – The USF baseball team made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, but dropped the series finale to Cincinnati, 4-1 Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls (12-10, 1-2 The American) were playing catch up for much of the day. The Bearcats (8-14, 2-1 The American) scored runs in four-straight innings to grab a 4-0 lead after the fifth.
Cincinnati's start Garrett Schoenle was effective, striking out 12 on the day and pitching into the ninth. USF put something together in the final frame, loading the bases with one out. Senior
Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) pinch hit, and drove in the first run on a ground out to second, scoring
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.).
With two on and two outs,
Jake Sullivan (Tampa) stepped into the box represented the tying run. A slow grounder to second was fielded, but there was an errand throw to first forcing the Cincinnati first baseman to make a tag. Sullivan slid head first, but the tag just nicked his back for the final out.
Key Stats
2 – Senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) had two hits for the fourth-straight game. He hit .444 this week.
Nota-Bulls
- Redshirt junior righty Dylan Burns (Vero Beach, Fla.) pitched the final 1.2 innings and was perfect.
Up Next
The Bulls head to Stetson Wednesday night before returning home for a three-game series against No. 20 ECU.
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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