Drew Brutcher homered twice on Tuesday night in USF’s 16-7 victory.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 22, 2022) – Sophomore Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) circled the bases twice as part of a five-homer barrage for the University of South Florida (14-7) in a 16-7 triumph at Florida Gulf Coast University (16-5) on Tuesday night. The Bulls’ victory snapped the Eagles’ five-game winning streak.
Tuesday marked the third multi-homer game for Brutcher this season – each of them occurring over the past 11 games.
Brutcher started the ariel assault and staked South Florida to an early 1-0 lead with a solo blast in the top of the first inning. FGCU tied the game with a run in the bottom of the frame, but the Bulls continued to apply pressure in the opening innings, scoring seven runs in the first four frames.
Carmine Lane’s (Lake Placid) five RBI night started with a two-run single with two outs in the second inning to put USF back on top, 3-1. Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) tagged a solo home run in the third, and Brutcher struck again with a three-run shot in the fourth to make it a 7-3 affair.
Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) accounted for the next three USF tallies with a solo homer in the sixth frame and a two-run double in the seventh. Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) followed Peña with a pinch-hit, two-run double in the seventh as the lead swelled to 12-4 after the Bulls’ two-out rally.
Lane connected on a towering blast in the eighth inning and added a two-run double in the ninth. Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) also recorded an RBI-single in the ninth inning.
On the mound, Joseph Sanchez (Miami) earned the win with a strong relief appearance. Sanchez (2-0) allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout over 3.0 IP.
Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) turned in a pair of scoreless innings out of the bullpen and Austin Grause (Tampa) closed the door with a scoreless ninth inning.
Notable
- FGCU entered Tuesday’s tilt ranked fourth in the NCAA in runs/game (10.9).
- USF has scored 10 or more runs five times this season.
- The Bulls have hit three or more home runs in a game four times this season.
- Brutcher (Lakeland) extended his career-high streak of reaching base safely to 21 consecutive games.
- Brutcher has seven homers and 17 RBI over his last 11 games.
- Lane’s five RBI are a new career high. The redshirt sophomore leads the team in total RBI (31) and multi-RBI games (10).
Up Next
The Bulls return to Tampa for a three-game weekend series against Niagara University. First pitch of the opener is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25 at USF Baseball Stadium.
For tickets, please visit usfbullstix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. 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 players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays’ postseason game one starter in 2021.
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