Bobby Boser went 3-for-5 with a career-high four RBI in the 19-5 win Sunday.
CINCINNATI, Ohio (April 24, 2022) – Less than 24 hours removed from dropping a lopsided game of their own, the University of South Florida Bulls rebounded in a big way to claim a decisive series victory with a 19-5 thumping at the University of Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series.
The Bulls’ 21 hits on Sunday are the second-most on record in program history. USF’s 19 runs are the most since February 21, 2014 against Penn State.
South Florida improves to 23-17 (4-8 AAC) after winning two of three in the weekend series while Cincinnati falls to 17-21 (7-5 AAC).
The true freshman quartet of Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel), Marcus Brodil (Dunedin), Jackson Mayo (St. Johns) and Sonny Rao (Orlando) combined to go 13-for-23 with 12 runs and 12 RBI.
The American Athletic Conference leader in hits (63) and RBI (47) Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 2-for-5 with a walk and three RBI while playing both third and second base throughout the contest.
Sunday’s defensive changes also saw Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) starting the game at third base and switching with Lane at second base on multiple occasions. The defensive alignment for the short-handed Bulls made the blowout win even more impressive as mounting injuries and a number of healthy scratches (coach’s decision) on Sunday saw USF playing without any position players remaining on the bench. All nine starters collected at least one hit.
The Bulls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning and saw the Bearcats answer with a pair in the bottom of the frame. Suddenly a one-run ballgame, it seems as though the rubber match of the series would go down to the wire like Friday’s opener, but USF instead stepped on the gas and never looked back.
The first five USF runs of the game all came on two-out hits and the freshmen accounted for the first eight RBI. The Bulls led 13-4 through six innings and after Cincinnati tacked on one in the eighth, USF closed the game with a six spot in the top of the ninth.
With the offense humming, Ethan Brown (Winter Gardens) was cruising through the Bearcats on the mound. The left-hander turned in his longest outing of the season (5.1 IP) and struck out a career-high seven batters while improving to 3-0 this season.
Brown, Orion Kerkering (Venice) and Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) combined to allow just three earned runs on five hits with 12 strikeouts and only two walks.
Notable
- Boser recorded his third homer of the season in the fifth inning and finished the day with career highs in hits (3) and RBI (4).
- Rao went 7-for-14 with five RBI in the series and his four hits on Sunday are a new career high.
- Brodil went 6-for-11 in the series and his three RBI on Sunday are a new career high.
- Mayo’s 27 RBI rank third on the team this season.
- Joaquin Monque (Weston) launched his third home run of the season in the ninth inning.
- USF has scored 10 or more runs in a game 11 times this season.
Up Next
Winners of four of their last five games, the Bulls return home for a three-game series against Houston next weekend beginning on Friday, April 29 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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