Bulls rally in the sixth against Northwestern to take the series
TAMPA (Feb. 29, 2020) – The USF baseball team (4-7) stole the second game of the series against Northwestern (3-5) with a late-inning rally in the sixth, winning 2-1 on Saturday night.
Northwestern struck first in the top of the third inning. Leo Kaplan plated the first run for the Wildcats with an RBI single to right field.
The Bulls bats came to life with a late-inning rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nick Gonzalez (Tampa, Fla.) would move into scoring position on a wild pitch by Ryan Bader. JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) would tie the game with an RBI double down the left field line. Riley Hogan (Orlando, Fla.) and Dylan Buck (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) would draw back-to-back walks to load the bases for Jake Sullivan (Tampa, Fla.). Sullivan would hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field, scoring Gonzalez to make it 2-1.
Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill, Fla.) picked up his first career win, recording seven strikeouts through six innings.
QUOTABLE
Coach Billy Mohl on JD Dutka’s performance:
“He had two hits last night, two hits tonight. That is what you want your senior to do. He got us back in the game, giving us the lead and our pitching closed it out for us.”
Notable
· JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) went 2-for-4 with a double, run, and RBI.
· Orion Kerkering (Venice, Fla.) earned his first career save.
· Dylan Burns (Vero Beach, Fla.) struck out three batters through two innings.
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball program is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls earned their third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first rounder, pitcher Shane McClanahan. Third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11th round after being named first team all-conference and an All-American. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls continued the success in head coach Billy Mohl first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls for the final two months of the season. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
– #GoBulls –
