TAMPA, FEB. 17, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball is victorious in its first game against North Dakota State, 9-5. The Bulls (3-1) defeated the Bison (0-4) in an almost three-and-a-half-hour-long matchup.
Scoring began in the top of the second, when USF pitcher
Nakni Anna walked Bison right fielder Blake Timmons, scoring designated hitter Caleb Corbin. NDSU would lead 1-0 at the end of the second.
The Bulls got on the board in the bottom of the third inning.
Bradke Lohry had a one-out walk and, in no time, made it to third base after back-to-back hit batters of
Jake Kulikowski and
Eli Thomas.
Nathan Earley then came up to bat and hit a double to left field, scoring Lohry and Kulikowski. First time starting catcher for the Bulls,
Santiago Carriles, then hit a double into left center field, scoring both Thomas and Earley. South Florida would end the third inning up 4-1.
In the top of the fifth, North Dakota State chipped away at South Florida's lead. A lead-off walk for center fielder Dante Smith was followed by a left fielder Colten Becker single to right field, advancing Smith to third. Third baseman Diego Trujillo was next up to bat and hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Smith. USF's lead would now be cut down to 4-2.
However, the Bulls weren't going to let the Bison get any closer. In the bottom of the fifth, lead-off batter Carriles was hit by a pitch. Third baseman
Jack Lutz then singled through the right side, advancing Carriles to second.
Jevin Relaford then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners to second and third.
Ryan Pruitt then drew a walk to load the bases with only one out. Lohry singled to right field, scoring Carriles, and advancing all other runners to keep the bases loaded.
Jake Kulikowski was next to bat and delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Lutz. Thomas then singled through the right side, advancing runners and loading the bases once more. A passed ball would allow Pruitt to score and give the Bulls a 7-2 lead at the end of the fifth.
Once again, the Bison continued to fight back and chip away at the Bulls five run lead. In the top of the sixth, freshman shortstop Kaden Connor walked, and shortly after, Smith singled to advance him to second. The next batter was Becker, who was hit by a pitch to load the bases for North Dakota State. Trujillo was next to bat and drew a walk, scoring Connor and advancing Smith and Becker. Evan Gustafson drew a walk to score Smith, and advance Becker and Trujillo. Finally, Corbin singled to right field to score Becker, cutting NDSU's deficit down to 7-5.
Yet the Bulls stayed relentless and continued to grow the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Carriles hit a lead-off single to right field, followed by a Lutz walk to advance him to second. Relaford then once again, just like the previous inning, laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners to second and third. That sacrifice allowed the next batter, Pruitt, to hit a sacrifice fly to center field, enabling Carriles to score. A batter later, Kulikowski reached on an error and was eventually called out at second, but Lutz had already scored. The Bulls would end the sixth inning up 9-5 and hold onto the lead for the remainder of the game.
Nakni Anna had his first-ever collegiate start on the mound today, and pitched 1.1 innings, walked six batters, gave up one run, and had one strikeout.
Jorge DeCardenas was awarded the win after pitching 3.2 innings, scoring four strikeouts, and giving up two walks and a run.
Brisen Tweedy,
Lawson Gailey, and
Will Allen also made appearances on the mound for the Bulls.
Key Stats:
•
Ryan Pruitt is currently on a four-game hitting streak.
•
Jevin Relaford had back-to-back bunts in back-to-back innings, both leading to runs later in the inning.
• South Florida is now 1-0 all-time against North Dakota State.
•
Nakni Anna made his first career start, and
Brisen Tweedy made his first collegiate appearance.
•
Santiago Carriles recorded two hits, two RBIs, and two runs in his first-ever start as a Bull.
Up Next:
USF will face North Dakota State for the second and final game of a two-game midweek series on Wednesday, February 18. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and the game 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.
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Baseball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
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.
–
#GoBulls –
