TAMPA (April 28, 2024) – The University of South Florida Bulls (22-21, 8-10 AAC) dropped the deciding tilt of a three-game weekend series to the Florida Atlantic University Owls (22-20, 9-9 AAC) on Sunday afternoon, 6-3, at USF Baseball Stadium.
Florida Atlantic plated five runs over the final five innings of the ballgame, including a three-run homer in the sixth frame which gave the Owls their first lead of the day.
The Owls also had a pivotal two-run homer in the sixth inning of Friday's 3-2 victory.
South Florida struck first in the rubber match with a run in the bottom of the first inning and led 3-1 after two innings.
Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs) sparked the USF offense with a leadoff double in the bottom of the first. After a walk to Marcus Brodil (Dunedin), the two runners picked up stolen bases and Rozenblum came around to score on a throwing error.
Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) belted his 38th career home run, a two-run blast, in the second inning to give the Bulls a 3-1 advantage after the Owls had tied the game with a single tally in the top of the frame.
The USF offense was blanked from there however, failing to scratch the plate over the next seven innings. FAU made it a 3-2 affair in the fifth inning and went ahead for good with the three-run homer in the sixth.
South Florida brought the tying run to the plate with only one out in the bottom of the ninth, but was unable to push across any runs.
The Bulls went just 1-for-18 with runners on base Sunday and 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position while the Owls went 3-for-11 in the latter.
Notable
- Brutcher is one home run away from tying for fifth all-time in program history (39) and two longballs away from a fourth-place tie (40).
- Freshman Logan Bevis (Longwood) turned in his second straight scoreless relief appearance, striking out one batter over 2.0 IP.
- Brodil went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and is now batting .383 with a .532 OBP through 18 conference games.
Up Next
The Bulls conclude their eight-game homestand on Tuesday, April 30 in non-conference action against Stetson at 6 p.m. in Tampa.
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 59th 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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