Drew Brutcher drives in four and scores one run in loss
TAMPA (April 28, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls (17-26; 6-7 AAC) rallied to tie the game in the ninth, but fell 9-7 in 10 innings to Cincinnati (18-24; 6-7 AAC) on the opening night of a three-game series Friday at the USF Baseball Stadium.
Cincinnati took an early lead, tapping Bulls starter Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) for one run in the first. The Bearcats got runners in scoring position in both the second and third innings, but Mink was able work out of the innings unscathed.
In the fourth, Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) laced a double to the right side to drive in Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) and Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) and give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) drew a walk and then Travis Sankovich (Uniontown) put the ball in play with a short roller in front of the mound that was fielded by the pitcher. A bad throw to second trickled into center field and allowed Brutcher to score for a 3-1 USF lead.
Cincinnati responded with three home runs and five runs in the top half of the fifth to regain a 6-3 lead. The Bearcats chased Mink after the first two home runs and three runs of the inning. After Mink hit his second batter of the inning, freshman left-hander Justin Jackson (Naples) came on in relief with a man on first and gave up a two-run home run before getting a strikeout and a ground out to exit the inning. Mink struck out five and gave up five earned runs in four and one-third innings worked.
Brutcher cut the Bearcats’ lead to one with a two-run smash to centerfield in the bottom half of the sixth.
Cincinnati seized the momentum with a home run in the top half of the seventh that made it 7-5 and chased Jackson after two and one-third worked. Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) entered for the Bulls and retired the side with a foul ball fly out.
Boser launched his 11th home run of the year to right field in the bottom of the seventh to cut the UC lead to 7-6.
Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) singled to give the Bulls a runner in the bottom of the ninth. Boser singled to put two on with one out and bring Cantu to the plate. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base. The Bearcats issued a pass to Cantu to load the bases and bring Snow up.
Bearcats’ pitcher Mitch White hit snow on a 2-2 count to bring in the tying run. Brutcher stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He fouled off two balls before Shea got him to swing at a high fastball and struck him out. Betancourt came to the plate with two out and his ground out to first sent the game to extra innings.
Cincinnati saw its first two batters reach in the 10th on Bulls right-hander Riley Skeen, who had entered to start the ninth, and a single from Kerrington Cross drove in two for the winning margin.
Notable
- Drew Brutcher hit his eighth home run of the season and recorded four RBI in the game to give him 31 on the year, second-most on the team.
- Bobby Boser launched his 11th home run on the year, tying him with Daniel Cantu for the team lead.
- USF fell to 0-4 in extra innings on the season.
Up Next
The Bulls and Bearcats return to the USF Baseball Stadium Saturday at 2 p.m. for the second game of the series. Right-hander Jack Cebert is scheduled to start for the Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four since 2015, and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF was ranked in the Top 25 by five different publications in the final 2021 polls, checking in as high as No. 16. 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, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018, and 18 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Drew Brutcher and Carmine Lane in 2021. Four Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program’s first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
