TAMPA, Fla. (April 18, 2026) – University of South Florida fell to UAB in Game 2 of a three-game conference series. The Bulls (26-12, 6-8 American) lost to the Blazers (25-14, 10-4 American), 12-6.
 
Similar to Game 1, UAB wasted no time and got on the board early on, this time in the top of the second. Brady Waugh led the inning off with a single, and he was followed by Andrew Hunt. He would hit a two-run home run to left field, 397 feet. That is Bulls pitcher Michael Senay's fourth home run he has allowed this season, and that's Hunt's fourth home run of the year.
 
Later in the inning, Max Price hit a single to center field, and Baylor Roberts would hit a double to left field to advance him to third. Kevin Hall Jr. would score Price on a sacrifice fly hit to left field, giving the Blazers a 3-0 lead at the end of the second inning.
 
South Florida equalized the game in the bottom half of the third. Jevin Relaford led the inning off with a double hit to center field. The ball dropped in shallow left field, and Relaford advanced to second when no UAB Blazer was covering the bag. Jack Lutz was next due up and reached on a throwing error by Blazer's second baseman, Waugh. Relaford advanced to third on the play.
 
Gabe Graulau hit a ball right back at the pitcher to ground out, but both runners advanced, scoring Relaford. Ryan Pruitt singled to center for an RBI that scored Lutz from third. He would later be caught stealing during the next batter up, Lance Trippel's, at bat. Trippel would hit a home run to left field, 373 feet for his third homer of the season. He has now homered in back-to-back games. The last time a Bull hit a home run in back-to-back games was just last year, when Carter Murphy hit them in back-to-back games against East Carolina in the American Conference tournament. The game would be tied at 3, heading to the fourth.
 
UAB had a statement inning in the top half of the sixth. With two outs already in the inning, Wesley Helms singled into right center after a line drive just tipped off the top of the glove of Bulls second baseman, Bradke Lohry. Price would then be hit by a pitch to advance him to second. Roberts singled to third base, scoring Helms and advancing Price to third. Nolan Bernard entered the game to relieve South Florida starter Michael Senay.
 
Hall Jr. was hit by a pitch as Bernards' first batter, loading the bases. Price would score on a wild pitch, and both runners would advance to second and third. Their advancement wouldn't have mattered, as next due up would be the American Conference leader in home runs, JP Head, who recorded his 14th of the season. The 428-foot three-run shot gave the Blazers an 8-3 lead, headed to the bottom of the sixth.
 
Jake Kulikowski responded immediately for South Florida, leading off the bottom half of the sixth with a 405-foot solo shot to right field. That is his fourth home run of the year, as he continues to lead the Bulls in homers. This is the first game of the 2026 season with multiple home runs for South Florida. UAB still led heading to the seventh, now by a score of 8-4.
 
The lead was extended even further in the top of the seventh for the Blazers. Jorge DeCardenas entered the game for Bernard. Waugh singled to right center with one out to get UAB started. Hunt singled to center to advance him to second. Price would score both of them with an RBI triple on a missed diving play from South Florida left fielder Kulikowski. The lead would be 10-4 Blazers, heading into the seventh inning stretch.
 
After the stretching commenced, UAB starter Carter Samuelson's day finally ended, and Riley Miller came into the game to relieve him. Relaford started his day off with a single to third, and he would later steal second for his 25th stolen base of the year. Lutz grounded out to short, but advanced Relaford to third. He would score when Gabe Graulau also grounded out to short. Headed to the eighth, the score would still be in favor of UAB, 10-5.
 
Scoring continued in the top of the eighth for the Blazers. Landon O'Donnell entered the game on the mound for South Florida. Santiago Carriles also entered the game, replacing Trippel behind the plate. Head walked to start the inning off and later stole second. Dupuy singled to shortstop to advance Head to third. Waugh lined out to right field, but it was a sacrifice fly as Head scored. Dupuy advanced to second on an errant throw from right fielder Gabe Graulau. Hunt singled to right center to score Dupuy and give UAB a 12-5 lead until the bottom of the ninth.
 
South Florida recorded its final run of the game in the bottom of the ninth. Relaford hit a leadoff single to start the inning, going four for four on the day. He advanced to third on a single from Jack Lutz, and Graulau hit a sacrifice fly to score Relaford. Graulau earned three RBIs on the day, without recording a hit. The final score would be 12-6, UAB.
 
Senay got his ninth start on the mound for the Bulls and threw 5.2 innings. He recorded three strikeouts and gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk. Senay received the loss and is now 6-2 on the season. Nolan Bernard, Jorge DeCardenas, Landon O'Donnell, and Jonah Sarabia all made appearances.
 
Notables:
• Lance Trippel has homered in back-to-back games and is on a 22-game reached base streak.
• Jake Kulikowski hit his fourth home run of the season and continues to lead the Bulls.
• Jevin Relaford went four for four on the day with three runs.
• Gabe Graulau earned three RBIs, without recording a hit.
• Relaford stole his 25th base of the season.
• Michael Senay is now 6-2 on the year after receiving the loss today.
 
Up Next:
South Florida will face UAB in Game 3 of the series on Sunday, April 19th. The first pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. as the Bulls look to avoid being swept. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball program, founded in 1966, enters its 61st season in 2026. Head coach Mitch Hannahs returns for his second year at the helm after leading the Bulls to 32 wins in his debut season—the program's highest win total since 2018. USF also posted 16 victories in American Athletic Conference play, marking its best conference showing since joining the league.
 
Hannahs, a 2023 ABCA NCAA Division I Midwest Region Coach of the Year, was named USF's eighth head coach on June 8, 2024, after an 11-year run at Indiana State where he tallied 355 wins, six conference titles, and five NCAA Regional appearances.
 
USF has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a historic Super Regional berth in 2021. The Bulls have captured five conference tournament titles (three Sun Belt, one Metro, one American) and six regular season championships (three Sun Belt, two Metro, one C-USA).
 
The program continues to develop top-tier talent with 134 MLB Draft picks all-time, including three selections in 2025. Notable alumni include two-time MLB All-Star and 2018 first-round draft pick Shane McClanahan. Bulls have earned All-America honors 12 times and Freshman All-America recognition 19 times.
– #GoBulls –