HOUSTON, TEXAS, APRIL 11, 2025- The University of South Florida baseball team (20-11; 8-2 AAC) defeated the Rice Owls (7-29; 1-9 AAC) to stay on top of the American Athletic Conference standings on Friday night. The Bulls won with a final of 14-3 in eight innings.
 
After a hitless first inning between both clubs, Rice struck first with a solo home run in the second. The Owls held the lead until the third inning when the Bulls scored three runs.
 
Matt Rose and Ryan Pruitt started the inning with two straight singles. A throwing error by the Owl's starting pitcher allowed Rose to cross the plate and tie the game. Sebastian Greico gave the Bulls the 3-1 lead with his 11^th home run of the season.
 
Ryan Pruitt added to the Bulls' lead in the fourth inning with an RBI double that scored Bradke Lohry. Rice answered with one run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
Both clubs were scoreless for the next two innings. Carlos Jacome and Jackson Mayo started the seventh inning with a single and a walk. Rafael Betancourt cleared the bases with a three-run home run to right field.
 
The Bulls stayed hot in the eighth inning, plating seven more runs. Four of the runs came off two home runs from Carlos Jacome and Jackson Mayo. It was his 28th career home run for Mayo, making him one away from breaking into the top 10 career home run list. The final two runs from the Bulls came from Ryan Pruitt's second double of the game.
 
LHP Corey Braun earned his fifth win of the season, going seven innings and allowing two earned runs. He struck out three batters and allowed four hits. Nolan Bernard pitched the final inning, striking out one batter.
 
Key Stats:

• South Florida earned its first win over Rice in program history.
• The Bulls set a season-high of 18 hits. They last did so on March 30, 2018, in a 14-3 win against Tulane.
• Five Bulls produced a muti-hit performance with Rose and Pruitt leading with four.
• The four home runs are the second most the Bulls have hit in a single game this season.
• Pruitt and Betancourt led the team with three RBI.
• Pruitt's two doubles is the fourth time a player has hit two doubles this season.
• Greico, Lohry, and Brodil continue their double-digit on-base streaks. Brodil has reached in 13 straight games, while Greico and Trippel have reached in 11 straight.

 
Notables:

• Marcus Brodil reached base for the 13th consecutive game, the longest active streak on the team. He is one game away from tying his season high.
• Rafael Betancourt has had a multi-hit performance in the last three games. He has recorded at least one hit in 12 of the last 13 games.
• Jackson Mayo is one home run away from breaking into the top 10 career home run list in program history. He has hit 28 home runs in his career.
• Ryan Pruitt and Matt Rose set a season-high of four hits. They have both recorded nine multi-hit games this season.
• Carlos Jacome has recorded a hit in five of his last seven games.
• Sebastian Greico continues to lead the team in home runs and RBI. He hit his 11^th home run of the season and recorded his 32^nd and 33^rd RBI.

 
 
Up Next:
South Florida will look to claim its fourth consecutive conference series tomorrow against Rice. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and all will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls baseball at the USF Baseball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
 
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About USF Baseball
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida's eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. 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, and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades. USF has had 131 MLB Draft Picks. Former 2018 first-round draft pick Shane McClanahan is a two-time MLB All-Star.
 
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