TAMPA (April 6, 2023) – The Tulane University Green Wave (9-21, 3-1 AAC) got out to a 5-0 lead after three innings on Thursday night and never looked back as the University of South Florida Bulls (12-19, 2-2 AAC) suffered a 5-2 setback at USF Baseball Stadium.
Tulane put all five runs on the board against the reigning AAC Pitcher of the Week Ethan Brown (Winter Garden). Brown had allowed just three runs through 13.1 IP over his previous two outings heading into Thursday's series opener.
After a shaky start, the southpaw settled in and retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced from the third inning until his exit in the seventh, including a stretch of 10 in a row. Brown (1-3) allowed five runs on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts over 6.1 IP.
South Florida out-hit the Green Wave, 8-6, in the game, but stranded 11 runners on base, including two bases-loaded opportunities.
The Bulls crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) in the fourth inning and an RBI-single by Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) made it a 5-2 ballgame in the bottom of the fifth. Neither side scored over the final four frames.
Notable
- Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) struck out three batters over 2.2 IP of scoreless relief.
- John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) went 3-for-4 on the night with a walk. Montes has hit safely in 21 of his last 26 games (12 multi-hit games). Â Â Â Â
Up Next
The Bulls will send Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) to the mound on Friday in game two of the series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. in Tampa. Â
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). 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 Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program's first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
