TAMPA (April 12, 2022) – The University of South Florida Bulls (19-14) suffered a 12-4 loss on Tuesday night to Florida Gulf Coast University (21-12) in the opener of a four-game homestand at USF Baseball Stadium.

The nearly four-hour affair featured 17 total pitchers and 22 walks. South Florida, which ranks in the top 10 of the NCAA in walks draw this season, recorded nine of those, but unfortunately issued 13 on the mound to FGCU – the second-most by the Bulls this season. USF entered the game also ranked 41st in the country in fewest walks allowed per nine innings.

The Bulls stranded 12 runners on base in the setback and record just one extra-base hit, a solo homer by Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) in the fourth inning.

Cantu's blast cut the USF deficit to 4-2 at the time, and the Bulls made it a one-run ballgame before the inning came to a close, but could never retake the lead after originally leading in the game 1-0 after the first frame.

Among the 10 USF pitchers to appear in the contest (season high), Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor), Tommy Groom (Orlando), Joey Volini (Tampa) and Nolan Hudi (Safety Harbor) each made scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.

Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 1-for-4 with an RBI, adding to his league-leading total of 40.

Up Next

The Bulls resume conference play with a three-game series against Memphis on Thursday. First pitch is set for 6:30 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 57^th 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.

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