Bulls score five in the fourth inning to take series-opening game
STATESBORO, GA., FEB. 21, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball (3-2; 0-0 AAC) claimed their second series-opening win of the season and first road victory of the year Friday, downing Georgia Southern (3-2; 0-0 Sun Belt), 9-1, at J.J. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. The series continues Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+.
Left-hander Corey Braun, starting his second game for USF, gave the Bulls a strong outing, recording seven strikeouts and scattering four hits before leaving after completing the sixth inning with a 5-1 lead.
Sophomore Corey Kling came on in relief for the Bulls to start the seventh and got out of a bases loaded jam by getting pinch-hitter JP Herrholz to groundout to third. He would go on to get his first career save after posting three scoreless innings.
For the fourth straight game in a series, the Bulls jumped on top first. This time USF plated five runners in the top of the fourth to take an early 5-0 lead, using three singles and patience at the plate that drew four walks in the inning.
Bradke Lohry singled to start the fourth and Rafael Bentancourt drew a walk. Lance Trippel singled to load the bases and Jackson Mayo drove in Lohry and Bentancourt with a single down the right field line. Ryan Pruitt drew a walk and Carter Murphy drove Mayo and Trippel in with a single up the middle. The Eagles got a strikeout but issued walks to Matt Rose and Marcus Brodil to bring Pruitt home.
Georgia Southern tapped Braun for a run in the bottom of the fifth when he walked leadoff batter Luke Odden. Odden advanced to third on a pair of deep fly outs and scored when the Bulls attempted to throw out Sean Smith, who had singled, as he stole second.
The Bulls padded their lead with four runs in the ninth. Brodil scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a walk and advancing on a Lohry single. Trippel launched a two-run home run over the left field wall scoring Lohry. Murphy drove in Mayo, who had singled and advanced when Pruitt was hit by a pitch, to make it 9-1.
Key Stats:
• Starter Corey Braun recorded seven strikeouts and gave up four hits, a pair of walks and a hit batter before leaving with a 5-1 lead after completing the sixth inning. He threw102 pitches and faced 26 batters.
• Corey Kling pitched three scoreless innings and scattered three hits while facing 13 batters to get the first save of his career.
• USF pitchers stranded 11 Eagles runners and struck out nine. Bulls hitters drew six walks and recorded 11 hits.
Notables:
• Carter Murphy went 4-for-5 on the night with four singles and three RBI.
• Lance Trippel hit his first home run of the season with a ninth-inning, two-run shot.
• Jackson Mayo recorded a pair of RBI and two runs scored on the night while going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.
• The Bulls have taken the early lead in all four of their series games thus far on the year, including a 5-0 lead on Friday.
Up Next:
The Bulls and Eagles square off again Saturday in a 2 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+. The final game of the series is Sunday, set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls baseball at the USF Baseball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
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About USF Baseball
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida’s eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. 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 and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades. USF has had 131 MLB Draft Picks. Former 2018 first-round draft pick, Shane McClanahan, is a two-time MLB All-Star.
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