NEW ORLEANS, La. (April 8, 2022) – The University of South Florida Bulls (18-12, 0-4 AAC) were playing catch-up all night at Tulane University (21-9-1, 4-0 AAC) and dropped the opener of a three-game weekend series, 8-5.
South Florida trailed 4-0 after the first inning but the Bulls rallied against Grant Siegel who entered the game with a 1.00 ERA. USF scored a pair of runs in the top of the second and two more in the third to knot the score at 4-4, but was never able to overtake the lead.
Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) put the Bulls on the board first with a two-out, two-run homer in the second frame. In the third, Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) and Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) both produced a sacrifice fly to tie the game. The Green Wave responded though with two runs in the bottom of the third inning to retake the lead and held on for the duration.
The Bulls had chances to overcome their deficit again, but stranded 13 baserunners in the ballgame.
Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) tagged a solo home run in the top of the eight to make it a 6-5 affair, but Tulane answered again in the bottom of the inning to stretch its lead back to 8-5.
Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 3-for-5 on Friday while Cantu, Ruiz and Nelson Rivera (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) each tallied a pair of hits.
Notable
- Lane leads USF with 12 multi-hit games this season and has eight three-hit outings.
- Brodil recorded his first career multi-RBI game.
- Rivera has reached base safely in a career-high 17 consecutive games.
- Nolan Hudi (Safety Harbor) had gone 7.1 IP in relief without allowing a run before being charged with a pair of runs on Friday.
Up Next
The Bulls and Green Wave continue their weekend series in New Orleans on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
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.
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