TALLAHASSEE (February 27, 2024) – The University of South Florida Bulls (4-3) were unable to hand the Florida State Seminoles (7-0) their first loss of the season, suffering a 12-4 setback on Tuesday night at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

Despite a successful four-game sweep over the weekend, head coach Billy Mohl stressed the need for the South Florida pitching staff to limit walks, and the Bulls were hurt by that on Tuesday as seven of the Seminoles' runs were the result of free passes (six walks and one HBP).

One of the brightest spots of the night was a return to the mound by Joey Volini (Tampa), who missed the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John. Volini tossed two scoreless frames before the Seminoles finally got to him for a hit and a run in the bottom of the sixth in his relief appearance. Volini struck out three batters in his first outing since May 25, 2022.

Coming off a prolific offensive weekend, it was a promising start for the Bulls on Tuesday after a leadoff single by Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.). Two batters later, Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) singled to put two on with only one out, but Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) grounded into an inning-ending double play.

USF outhit FSU, 11-10, but also grounded into three double plays on the night.

Three batters into their first offensive chance, the Seminoles took an immediate lead on a two-run homer and went on to plate five runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) relieved freshman starter Adan Longoria (Plant City) in the second inning and blanked the home team for two frames before Florida State tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

USF answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) got things started with a one-out double and came around to score on a two-out double by Matt Rose (Clearwater). Rose then proceeded to hustle home on a rocket to right field by Snow who was eventually thrown out at second base, but not before Rose crossed the plate.

USF and FSU traded runs in the seventh inning with Montes tallying an RBI-single for the Bulls. The Seminoles plated their final three runs on back-to-back homers in the eighth.  

Notable

• Betancourt had his six-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday.
• Ben Rozenblum (6 games), Joaquin Monque (5) and Montes (5) each extended their hitting games.
• Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) delievered a pinch-hit RBI-double in the ninth inning for the Bulls.
• Chandler Dorsey (Lakeland) was the lone USF pitcher to make a scoreless appearance in the game.

Up Next

The Bulls continue their six-game road stretch with a three-game weekend series at UCF beginning on Friday, March 1 at 6 p.m. in Orlando.    

Double Play Passes, which include one ticket to every home baseball and softball game, can be purchased now for $99. Group and single game tickets are also on sale and can be purchased here or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

About USF Baseball

The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 59^th season in 2024 under head coach Billy Mohl (seventh 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 19 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Eric Snow in 2023. 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.

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