Roberto Peña’s three-run homer in the sixth gave the Bulls the lead for good Tuesday night.
MIAMIA, Fla. (March 15, 2022) – In just their second game away from Tampa this season, the University of South Florida Bulls (11-6) picked up their first road win in 14-9 fashion on Tuesday night in Miami to complete and home-and-home series sweep over FIU (7-11). Robert Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) gave South Florida the lead for good in the ballgame with a three-run homer in the sixth inning.
The high-scoring back-and-forth affair saw the Panthers claim a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first before the Bulls answered with six runs second frame built a 7-4 lead in the top of the third inning. FIU scored four runs over its next three chances and carried an 8-7 lead into the sixth inning.
Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) and former Panther Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs) both walked to lead off the sixth, and two batters later, Peña crushed his third home run of the season, a three-run blast to give USF a 10-8 advantage.
The Bulls tacked on four more runs in the seventh inning without registering a single base hit. FIU pitchers hit two batters, walked three more, allowed a sacrifice fly, committed an error, and uncorked two wild pitches in the frame.
Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) drew a third of the Bulls’ 15 walks in the ballgame. Cantu’s five walks matched a program record, last accomplished by Johnny Raburn on February 8, 2000. USF drew 20 total free passes as FIU pitchers also hit five batters.
On the mound for USF, Ethan Brown (Winter Gardens) picked up his first for the Green & Gold. The left-hander tossed a scoreless inning of relief in the sixth after the Bulls retook the 10-8 lead. Tyler Dietz (Trinity) also turned in two scoreless innings from the bullpen with a pair of strikeouts.
Notable
- Four different Bulls had at least two RBI in the game.
- Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 3-for-5 with a stolen base, two runs scored and a pair of RBI.
- Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) drew three walks and scored three runs on Tuesday.
- Brutcher, Cantu and Lane have each reached base safely in 17 consecutive games to begin the season.
- Cantu now owns a .514 OBP this season.
- Peña finished the game 1-for-3 with a homer, three RBI, two walks and a stolen base.
- Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) went 2-for-3 with a double, stolen base, two runs scored and two RBI.
Up Next
The Bulls return home for a three-game weekend series against Mercer (15-1). First pitch of the series is set for Friday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. in Tampa.
For tickets, please visit usfbullstix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. 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 18 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Drew Brutcher and Carmine Lane in 2021. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays’ postseason game one starter in 2021.
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