TAMPA (May 6, 2022) – The University of South Florida hosted UCF in the first of a three-game series on Friday night at USF Baseball Stadium and suffered a 10-4 loss. The Bulls fall to 23-22 (4-12 AAC) while UCF improves to 28-17 (11-5 AAC).
Shaky defense by South Florida coupled with a couple of bloop hits by UCF gave the Knights an early 4-0 lead in the second inning. The Bulls committed three errors in the frame as Brad Lord (Crawfordville) was charged with six runs (three earned) over 5.0 IP in his start.
USF cut its deficit to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by freshman Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) in the bottom of the third inning before the UCF lead swelled to 10-1 after eight frames.
The Bulls didn't go down quietly though in their final at-bats and will look to carry that momentum into the remainder of the series.
Nelson Rivera (Tao Alto, Puerto Rico) singled with one out and USF loaded the bases when Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) and Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs) were hit by pitches. Jarrett Eaton followed with his second extra-base hit of the ballgame – a three-run double to the gap in right-center field.
Eaton doubled and tripled in the game. Rivera also finished with a pair of hits.
Notable
- Rozenblum returned to the USF lineup on Friday night after missing the last three weeks with a broken foot.
- Eaton is hitting .333 (4-12) with four extra-base hits and five RBI over his last five games.
- Brodil is hitting .412 (14-34) with six extra-base hits over his last nine games.
- Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 1-for-4 in the game and continues to lead the AAC in hits (66).
- Jack Cebert (Tampa) blanked UCF and struck out four over 1.2 IP in relief.
Up Next
The Bulls and Knights continue their War On I-4 weekend series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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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