Drew Brutcher returned to the lineup and went 1-for-4 with a double.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (May 13, 2022) – The East Carolina Pirates (32-18, 15-4) scored runs in each of the first five innings on Friday night and took the opener of a three-game weekend, 7-2, against the visiting University of South Florida Bulls (26-23, 6-13 AAC). The Pirates entered the weekend leading the AAC standings.
Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) returned to the South Florida lineup for the first time since April 14th after missing the past month with a lower body injury and went 1-for-4 with a double.
The two teams recorded eight hits apiece, but ECU’s six extra-base hits were the difference.
Following a 58-minute rain delay, the ballgame nearly began with a bang for the Bulls as Carmine Lane blasted the third pitch he saw in the leadoff spot, but the Pirate left fielder caught the ball on the warning track with his back against the wall. Lane nearly missed on another long fly out his second trip to the plate.
With USF held scoreless though, the Pirates went to work and built an early 2-0 lead after two innings before the Bulls go on the board in the top of the third.
After Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) was robbed of a base hit by a stellar defensive play in the third inning, Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) walked with one out. Two batters later, with Boser on the move, Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) tallied his second hit of the night which was ultimately misplayed in center field and allowed Boser to scurry home.
ECU resumed its scoring in the bottom half of the frame and registered a single tally in each of the first five frames to stretch its lead to 5-1.
Ethan Brown (Winter Gardens) turned in the longest outing of his career in his first Friday start with the Bulls. The southpaw allowed five runs on five hits with four strikeouts over 6.0 IP. Brown blanked the Pirates in his final inning of work.
Notable
- Lane recorded his American Athletic Conference leading 71st hit in the game.
- Gonzalez is batting .436 (17-39) over his last 12 games.
- Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) has eight over his last 11 games.
- Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs), who returned from a broken foot last weekend, went 2-for-4 on the night.
- Caleb Pundsack (Groveland) tossed a scoreless eighth inning and has not allowed an earned run over his last three appearances.
Up Next
The Bulls and Pirates continue their weekend set on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m., but forecast weather may impact the start time. Stay tuned to USF’s social media channels for updates.
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.
– #GoBulls –
