Bulls down Iowa, 5-4, in first game of three-game series
TAMPA, DATE, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball opened its 60th season and first under head coach Mitch Hannahs with a 5-4 victory over Iowa Friday in front of 1,434 at the USF Baseball Stadium.
Junior Ryan Pruitt’s seventh-inning grand slam with two outs sent the Bulls to victory.
USF opened the Hannahs Era with a bang as Ole Miss transfer Corey Braun struck out the side in the top of the first. In the Bulls half of the inning, Marcus Brodil reached on a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Iowa catcher. He then gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead scoring as Lance Trippel reached on a fielder’s choice.
Iowa struck back in the third, loading the bases and evening the score as Gabe Mitchell laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Jaixen Frost. Braun coaxed a ground out two batters later to get out of the inning.
Iowa tacked on a run in the top of the fifth when Mitchell lined a single to right center that scored Frost again. Mitchell advanced to second on a throwing error and Iowa was threatening with runners at second and third with one out when Bulls’ shortstop Bradke Lohry leapt to snare a line drive off the bat of Andy Nelson. Braun drew a fly ball from the next batter and the Bulls escaped trailing 2-1.
Rafael Betancourt led off the bottom of the seventh with a single for the Bulls. Iowa got two outs and issued a pair of walks to load the bases for Pruitt. The left-hander ripped a 1-2 pitch over the right field wall for a grand slam that brought the crowd to its feet and sent the USF bullpen dancing as the Bulls took a 5-2 lead.
Iowa got a pair of runs in the ninth, but the Bulls three run cushion was too much.
Key Stats:
• Junior Ryan Pruitt went 2-for-3 on the night with a grand slam home run and a single as he drove in four runs.
• Junior right-hander Landen Yorek got the win, coming on in relief in the sixth and pitching 2.1 innings, giving up two hits, no runs and recording a pair of strikeouts.
• Junior left-hander Corey Braun gave up two runs and five hits, struck out six and faced 22 batters in five innings of work in his first start for the Bulls.
• Senior Brandon Keyster got the save, coming on in the ninth.
Notables:
• USF improved to 40-20 all-time in season-opening games.
• Mitch Hannahs became the seventh of eight USF baseball head coaches to win their opening game at the helm of the Bulls.
• The Bulls opening day starting lineup featured seven newcomers with six position players and newcomer Corey Braun starting on the mound.
Up Next:
The Bulls face Iowa in the second game of the three-game series Saturday with first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. at the USF Baseball Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on Bulls Unlimited digital radio.
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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