TAMPA (May 16, 2024) – The University of South Florida Bulls (25-28, 10-15 AAC) and UAB Blazers (25-26, 12-13 AAC) both entered game one of the final three-game set of the regular season looking to secure a spot in the conference postseason tournament, and the Blazers moved one step closer to that goal with a narrow 4-3 victory over the Bulls at USF Baseball Stadium on Thursday night.
UAB only produced three hits in the game, but one of them was a two-run homer in the fifth inning that stood as the game-winning runs.
The Blazers got on the board first with a single tally in the top of the first inning before the Bulls answered in the bottom of the second frame.
South Florida strung together consecutive hits from Joaquin Monque (Weston), John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico), Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs) and Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.) to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Blazers manufactured another run in the top of the fourth to tie the ballgame and took the lead for good with a two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Drew Brucher's (Lakeland) 40th career home run made it a 4-3 ballgame in the bottom of the sixth, but the Bulls were unable to scratch across another run.
UAB's final hit of the game was the deciding home run in the fifth frame as Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor), Corey Kling (Delray Beach) and Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) shut down the Blazer's offense for the remainder of the night.
Mink, a senior, struck out eight batters over 6.2 IP in his final start in Tampa.
Notable
- Brutcher is now tied for fourth all-time in program history with Mike Eylward (1998-2001) at 40 career home runs.
Up Next
The Bulls will look to even the series with UAB on Friday, May 17 at 5 p.m.
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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