Jack Jasiak struck out seven and posted his fifth quality start of the season in the setback.
TAMPA (April 1, 2021) – The USF Bulls (10-13, 0-1 AAC) had plenty of traffic on the basepaths Thursday night in the opening game of conference play and its War On I-4 opposite UCF (11-14, 1-0 AAC), but left too many baserunners stranded and suffered a 5-2 setback.
The Bulls left 14 runners on base and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. That one hit was a two-out single by Julio Cortez (Weston) in the fourth frame.
Riley Hogan (Orlando) gave USF an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, in the second inning. Cortez’s clutch RBI-single in the fourth looked to be all the run support Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) would need on the mound, but the right-hander endured one rough inning in an otherwise stellar outing, which swung the momentum in favor of the Knights.
Jasiak (2-4) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on five hits over 7.0 IP. The redshirt freshman struck out seven batters and issued just one walk.
Jasiak retired six of the first seven batters he faced on the night. After a leadoff single in the third inning, he then proceeded to sit down nine in a row, until he was disrupted by a solo homer in the sixth. In total, UCF scored three runs on four hits in the frame.
USF looked poised to answer quickly, putting the tying run on second with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but failed to scratch the plate. The Bulls loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, and again came up empty. In the eighth, the tying and go-ahead runs were in scoring position with two outs, but Roberto Peña’s (Caracas, Venezuela) line drive up the middle was caught by the shortstop.
The Knights tacked on two more runs in the ninth after loading the bases with no outs. Orion Kerkering (Venice) nearly escaped the jam, retiring the next two batters and reaching an 0-2 count on the next, but UCF was able to get the clutch hit and insurance runs.
Notable
- Jasiak has recorded five quality starts in seven outings this season.
- Hogan reached base safely for the 15th consecutive game with his homer.
- Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 2-for-5 at the plate.
- Jake Sullivan (Tampa) recorded his fifth two-hit game in his last seven ballgames.
Up Next
The War On I-4 continues Saturday with a doubleheader against UCF. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium.
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 –
