TAMPA (March 19, 2022) – The University of South Florida (12-7) faltered out of the gate in game two of a weekend series against (RV) Mercer University (16-3), and the Bulls were never able to dig out of a big early hole in a 14-6 loss on Saturday afternoon at USF Baseball Stadium.
The inauspicious start began on the first pitch of the ballgame as Dylan Vega (Pembroke Pines) induced a high fly ball to left field that was lost in the sun and settled onto the warning track for a leadoff triple. The very next pitch left the ballpark and gave Mercer an immediate 2-0 lead.
The Bears added a solo homer in the top of the second inning before Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) drove in South Florida's first run of the day in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
Mercer tacked on single runs in the third and fifth innings before exploding for seven runs in the top of the sixth to stretch its lead to 12-1. Meanwhile, the Bulls didn't record their first hit of the day until the seventh inning.
With two outs in the seventh, Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) broke up Mercer's no-hit bid with an infield single which sparked a flood of five straight USF hits. Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) followed with a single ahead of an RBI-single by Drew Brutcher (Lakeland). Joaquin Monque (Weston) was next with a two-run double and Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) capped the rally with an RBI-triple.
The Bears responded by scoring two more runs in the top of the eighth. Monque delivered another RBI-double for the Bulls in the bottom of the ninth to account for the final score.
Notable
- Brutcher and Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) each extended their streak of reaching base safely in 19 straight games to begin the season.
- Tommy Groom (Orlando) was the lone USF pitcher on the day to enter the game without surrendering a hit or run. The right-hander has not surrendered an earned run in three relief appearances to date.
Up Next
The Bulls and Bears will play the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Tampa.
For tickets, please visit usfbullstix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four since 2015, and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF was ranked in the Top 25 by five different publications in the final 2021 polls, checking in as high as No. 16. The Bulls have won five conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro and 1 C-USA). USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018, and 18 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Drew Brutcher and Carmine Lane in 2021. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program's fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays' postseason game one starter in 2021.
– #GoBulls –
