Drew Brutcher homered and drove in two on Friday night in Houston.
HOUSTON, Texas (April 14, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls (15-20, 4-3 AAC) and University of Houston Cougars (19-15, 5-2 AAC) opened a three-game series on Friday night in Texas as two of three teams tied atop The American baseball standings. Houston overcame a 3-0 deficit in the series opener on its home turf and held on for a 6-5 victory over South Florida.
Houston has now won three straight games while USF saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
The Bulls raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. True freshman Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) opened the scoring with a two-run doubled and Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) drove in the third run of the frame.
Ethan Brown (Winter Garden) made quick work of the Cougars in the bottom of the first inning by striking out the side.
USF kept the pressure on the home team by loading the bases with one out in the top of the second, but the Bulls stranded the bases loaded and Houston capitalized on the momentum swing.
The Cougars answered with three runs (two earned) in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game against Brown.
The Bulls reclaimed the lead in the top of the third on an RBI-groundout by Joaquin Monque (Weston) to plate Travis Sankovich (Uniontown, Pa.) who doubled to lead off the frame.
The early back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the third inning when Houston took its first lead of the night. Brown allowed the first two Cougars to reach base before recording two outs. Houston proceeded to plate three runs to pull in front and never relinquished the lead.
Bullpens took over for both sides through the middle innings and neither side scored until Brutcher blasted an opposite-field home run in the top of the eighth to make it a one-run game.
Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.) reached base as the tying run in the top of the ninth inning with one out, and with two outs Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) just got under a pitch that resulted in the final out of the ballgame in left field.
Notable
- Brown struck out seven over 4.0 IP and allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits with one walk.
- Justin Jackson (Naples), Nolan Hudi (Safety Harbor) and Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) combined for 4.0 IP of scoreless relief.
- T. Mink owns a 1.10 ERA (2 ER/16.1) over his last 10 appearances.
- Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) has reached base safely in a season-high 17 consecutive games.
- Brutcher and Boser are each riding eight-game hitting streaks.
Up Next
The Bulls and Cougars continue their weekend series in Houston on Saturday, April 15. First pitch has been moved up to 3 p.m. ET due to rain forecast in the area.
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 –
