USF and UCF split the four-game War On I-4 series
TAMPA (April 3, 2021) – The USF Bulls (12-14, 2-2 AAC) couldn’t get the offense going in Saturday’s War On I-4 finale, suffering their second shutout of the season, in a 3-0 loss to the UCF Knights (12-16, 2-2 AAC).
The Bulls and Knights each took two games in the four-game set, and will continue the War On I-4 in two weeks in Orlando on April 16-18.
UCF plated single runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames which proved to be plenty of support for starter AJ Jones.
Jones no-hit the Bulls through six and one-third innings before Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) broke up his bid with an infield single. Peña would later move into scoring position on a wild pitch, and attempted to score on a single by Jake Sullivan (Tampa), but was cut down at the plate in one of USF’s few scoring opportunities on the afternoon.
The Bulls finished the tilt with just three hits, but made a lot of loud outs, several of which were swallowed up by great defensive play by the Knights.
Brad Lord (Crawfordville) suffered the loss in his first start in three weeks. Lord allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over 4.0 IP with three strikeouts. Joseph Sanchez (Miami) logged his longest appearances of the season (2.2 IP) and was one of four USF relievers to keep UCF off the board over the final four innings.
Quotable
Head coach Billy Mohl on the series split: “Obviously, we wanted to come out of here with a series win, but I thought our guys competed hard, and responded well after being swept last weekend by a top-5 team [Texas Tech]. We hit a lot of balls hard and took some quality at-bats today, but just didn’t have anything to show for it. We’re still not a finished product and will continue to work. If we continue to throw the ball well and be a little more opportunistic on offense, we’re going to win games.”
On Collin Sullivan’s (Randolph, Mass.) Friday outing: “That’s what you expect from a fifth-year starter. It was a vintage performance, because that’s how he was for us in 2019. He’s a great competitor.”
Notable
- Devin Hemenway (Niceville), Dawson Barr (Flower Mound, Texas) and Logan Lyle (Bartow) each made scoreless relief appearances for USF.
- The Bulls collectively posted a 2.25 ERA with 37 strikeouts over the four-game series.
- Riley Hogan (Orlando) went 1-for-2 with a walk and extended his streak of reaching base safely to 18 in a row.
Up Next
The Bulls conclude their nine-game homestand next weekend with a four-game conference series with Tulane. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday, April 9 at 3 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa.
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 –
