TAMPA, MARCH 8, 2019 – The Bulls led through five innings but were doomed by a pair of three-run frames late in Friday's 6-4 loss to Liberty.  
 
The Bulls (6-5) struck first with a two-out rally in the second. Freshman Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) walked, then junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) drove a double into right-center for the game's first run.
 
USF added another in the third, as Kyle Phillips (Orlando) led off with a single up the middle, then stole second to get himself into scoring position. Two batters later, Austin Bodrato (Northvale, N.J.) doubled down the right field line to make it 2-0.
 
The Flames plated three runs in the top of the sixth on two hits to take a lead. Bodrato immediately changed that in the bottom half with a leadoff home run to right, making it 3-3.
 
Just like the previous inning, Liberty retook the lead with another three-run output on two hits, making it 6-3. USF got one back in the eighth on a Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) RBI double, scoring Bodrato, but it was as close as the Bulls would get

Nota-Bulls

• Bodrato went 2-for-2 with a homer, double, two runs and two RBI.
• Santos had a double and was on base three times, walking for the 13^th time this season.
• Junior righty Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) bounced back with 5.1 solid inning. He allowed two hits and struck out seven, surrendering two runs for a no-decision.
• This ends the Bulls three-game winning streak and five-game home winning streak. 

Quotables
Coach Billy Mohl on Collin Sullivan's day:
"I thought he bounced back well. He got a little tired there in the sixth, his pitch count was up but it was a much better outing than last week and more of what we expect to see."

Up Next

The middle game of the three-game series is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Senior Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) gets the start for the Bulls.
 
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 11^th 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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