Drew Brutcher homered as the Bulls snapped Stetson’s 10-game winning streak.
DELAND (March 5, 2021) – With a pair of winning streaks on the line, the USF Bulls (5-3) extended theirs to five in a row on Friday night while handing Stetson University (10-1) its first loss of the season in a gritty 3-2 victory.
As expected, it was a low-scoring affair in the opener of a three-game series with USF’s ace on the hill opposite Stetson’s fourth-ranked pitching staff (1.56 ERA). Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) and the Bulls proved up to the challenge though as the redshirt freshman struck out a season-high 10 batters and USF’s bats continued to slug.
Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) and Roberto Pena (Caracas, Venezuela) each homered for the Bulls and Jasiak turned in his third consecutive quality start.
After a scoreless pair of innings, Jake Sullivan (Tampa) led off the third with a double and came around to score the first run of the game on an RBI groundout by Matt Ruiz (Hialeah). The Hatters answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame to knot the score before the Bulls played big fly themselves in the proceeding frames.
Brutcher put the Bulls back in front, 2-1, with a solo homer to right field in the top of the sixth and Pena followed suit with his first long ball of the season in the seventh frame.
Stetson finally chased Jasiak from the mound in the eighth inning after cutting its deficit to one run only to see its rally snuffed out by Orion Kerkering (Venice) in relief for the Bulls. Kerkering went on to finish the ninth and record his first save of the season by escaping a bases-loaded jam in a thrilling finish.
Jasiak (2-0) scattered seven hits and did not issue a walk for the second time this year while recording a new career high in innings pitched (7.2).
Notable
- Jasiak has registered a quality start in six of his seven career starts.
- Brutcher extended his hitting streak to eight start games to begin his career and is batting .467 as a true freshman.
- Ruiz (.472) saw his seven-game hitting streak come to an end.
- Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) recorded his first two-hit game of the season.
- Kerkering struck out a season-high three batters in his relief effort.
Up Next
The Bulls and Hatters square off again in Deland on Saturday with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. The two teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday in Tampa with a 4 p.m. first pitch.
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 –
