Daniel Cantu homered, drove in three runs and scored four times on Friday night.
TAMPA (April 7, 2023) – The offense exploded on Friday night for the University of South Florida (13-18, 3-2 AAC) in a 15-3 run-rule victory over Tulane University (9-22, 3-2 AAC) as the Bulls bounced back in a big way after dropping the series opener to the Green Wave on Thursday night at USF Baseball Stadium.
South Florida matched a season high with 15 runs while every Bull in the starting lineup on Friday either scored a run or drove in a run.
Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) went 1-for-2 with a home run, walk, HBP, three RBI and four runs scored.
Cantu’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning erased a 1-0 Tulane lead and USF immediately broke the game open with seven runs in the second inning.
On the mound, Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) turned in his fourth consecutive quality start. H. Mink allowed one run on four hits with two walks and matched a career high with eight strikeouts. The righthander leads the pitching staff in wins (6) and quality starts (5).
John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) and Cantu were each hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second to start the scoring barrage as USF sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning. Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.) and Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) both recorded two-run singles in the frame, while Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) drew a bases-loaded walk to cap the seven-run rally and make it a 9-1 ballgame.
Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) and Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) each had run-scoring doubles in the fifth inning. Betancourt struck again with an RBI-single in the sixth and Travis Sankovich (Uniontown, Pa.) made it a 15-1 affair with a run-scoring hit later in the sixth inning.
Cantu, Snow and Betancourt each drove in three runs. Montes, Betancourt, Boser and Brutcher all recorded two hits.
Notable
- Cantu leads USF in home runs (7) and RBI (30) this season. His 30 RBI have already matched his total from last season. He tallied career highs in homers (8) and RBI (36) in 2021.
- Cantu is batting .425 (17-for-40) with eight doubles, three homers and 17 RBI over his last 10 games.
- H. Mink is 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA (4 ER/24.1 IP) and 23 strikeouts over his last four outings.
- Montes has hit safely in 22 of his last 27 games (13 multi-hit games) and is batting .415 (17-for-41) over his last 10 games.
- Snow is batting .390 (16-for-41) over his last 10 games.
Up Next
The Bulls and Green Wave wrap up their three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Tampa. USF seeks its second straight conference series win and first-ever series win in Tampa over Tulane.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). 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 Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program’s first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
