Drew Brutcher homered in three consecutive games and USF has won seven straight overall.
TAMPA (March 7, 2021) – For the second Sunday in a row, the USF Bulls (7-3) completed a series sweep on their home field in walk-off fashion – this time it was Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) who put an end to a 12-inning affair against Stetson (10-3) with a solo homer for a 6-5 comeback victory.
Brutcher went deep in all three games against the Hatters who entered the three-game series undefeated as the only 10-win team in the country and were ranked fourth nationally in ERA.
Just as was the case in last weekend’s walk-off win against Florida A&M, Keanu Jacobs-Guishard (Philipsburg, St. Maarten) was the Bull responsible for tying the game in the ninth inning with a clutch RBI-single to knot the score at 5-5.
Making Sunday’s comeback even more improbable was the fact USF hadn’t scored a run since the first inning, and entered the ninth frame with only one hit since that first inning.
Stetson took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first only to see the Bulls do what they do best, answer in a big way. Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) got USF on the board in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI-single and Roberto Pena (Caracas, Venezuela) made it a one-run game on a sacrifice fly. Jacobs-Guishard got his big day started by giving the Bulls a 4-3 advantage on a two-run single.
The Hatters tied the game in the third frame and took a 5-4 lead in the seventh before the Bulls began their late dramatics.
On the mound, Orion Kerkering (Venice) earned his second win in as many weeks. Kerkering (2-0) struck out a season-high four batters and allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings of relief.
Quotable
Head coach Billy Mohl on the series sweep and walk-off win: “We won them all in different ways. A pitcher’s duel on Friday, then we put up 10 runs yesterday, and today we battle back for another walk off. There’s no quit in these guys. The energy we have in our dugout and the leadership we have the top with our players has been incredible. There’s nothing but fight in these guys right now.”
Notable
- Brutcher extended his hitting streak to 10 straight to begin his collegiate career and has four homers over his last six games.
- Jacobs-Guishard has hit safely in every game he’s appeared this season and went 2-for-5 with three RBI in his first start Sunday.
- Lane paced the Bulls offense in the series, batting .583 (7-12) with a double and four RBI.
- Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) has struck out 13 batters over 9.0 IP in his last two relief appearances.
- USF hadn’t previously won three in a row over Stetson since 2007-08.
Up Next
The Bulls have four games on the schedule next week, beginning with a single game at Florida State on Tuesday, March 9 at 4 p.m. USF will then face Florida Gulf Coast in a three-game weekend series with the middle game being played at home in Tampa on Saturday, March 13.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 56th season in 2021. The Bulls have won 1,628 games entering the 2021 season and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three since 2015. The Bulls have won four conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt and 1 Metro) and had 126 all-conference selections. USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who appeared in the 2020 World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bulls saw continued success in head coach Billy Mohl’s first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, and making the program’s latest NCAA Tournament appearance while also achieving a ranking in multiple polls for the final two months of the season.
– #GoBulls –
