Logan Lyle recorded his third save of the year in the nightcap.
HOUSTON, Texas (April 24, 2021) – Following a rain out on Friday, the USF Bulls (14-18, 4-6 AAC) got their weekend series underway on Saturday at the University of Houston (14-19, 2-8 AAC), and earned a split with the Cougars. The home team posted a 9-2 win in the opener before the Bulls outlasted the Cougars in 10 innings of game two, 8-4.
Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) went 3-for-7 with four RBI in the doubleheader, reaching base five times, and connected on his team-leading eighth home run in the nightcap.
Game 1
Facing one of the top pitchers in the conference, the Bulls struck first in the opener against Robert Gasser in the second inning. Riley Hogan (Orlando) continued his red-hot streak at the plate with a solo homer to lead off the frame and give USF a 1-0 edge.
The Cougars responded with a pair of runs off Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bulls answered right back with a run in the top of the fifth. Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) led off the inning with a bunt single and gave around to tie the game on a sac fly by Peña.
The USF offense would be stymied though for the remainder of the ballgame, and Houston took advantage with a six-run seventh inning after Jasiak departed to claim the victory.
Game 2
Houston wasted little time getting its offense going in the finale, plating three runs in the first two innings for an early lead.
In the top of the third, Joaquin Monque (Cypress Bay) and Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) started a USF rally with back-to-back singles, and Peña chased them both home with a three-run blast to knot the score at 3-3.
Neither team would plate another run over the next six innings as the Bulls and Cougars needed extras to decide the outcome. Houston had a golden opportunity to end things in regulation, putting two on with no out in the bottom of the ninth, but Orion Kerkering (Venice) worked out of the jam.
In the 10th, the Bulls put together a five-run rally, all with two outs. A rocket off the bat of Hogan resulted in an error, but pushed the go-ahead run across the plate. Following a single by Cantu and a walk by Jake Sullivan (Tampa), Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) singled up the middle for two more runs. Monque capped the frame with an RBI-single which led one additional run and an 8-3 advantage after a Houston error.
The Cougars scratched across one final run in the bottom of the 10th before Logan Lyle (Bartow) entered in relief to nail down his third save of the season.
Notable
- Jasiak (2-6) suffered the loss in game one despite recording his seventh quality start of the year.
- Kerkering (3-2) was the winning pitcher in game two after logging the longest relief appearance of his career (4.2 IP).
- Lyle has yet to allow an earned run in 16.0 IP this season.
- Hogan extended his streak of reaching base safely to 24 in a row…the redshirt junior is batting .395 with three homers over his last 10 games.
- Pena’s 28 RBI lead the team this year.
- USF played error-free defense in Saturday’s doubleheader, and has committed just five defensive miscues in 10 conference games.
Up Next
The Bulls and Cougars wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Game one is scheduled for seven innings with the finale set for nine.
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.
