A War On I-4 matchup will decide the 2021 American Baseball Championship.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (May 30, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (27-27) played through the wee hours of the night on Saturday and into Sunday morning, defeating Tulane University (31-24) by a score of 7-1, to advance to the program’s first American Athletic Conference championship game which will be played less than 12 hours after the conclusion of the Bulls’ victory.
USF suffered a 16-6 loss (8 innings) to Tulane earlier in the day Saturday to set up the late-night rematch with a trip to the conference finals on the line.
The Bulls bounced back in a big way from their 10-run defeat, scoring at least one run in each of the first four innings to claim a 7-0 advantage.
Brad Lord (Crawfordville) already had a 1-0 lead in his back pocket before stepping on the mound, and turned in perhaps his best performance of the season given the stakes. The right-hander scattered four hits over 6.0 IP and did not allow a run while striking out a career-high eight batters.
Orion Kerkering (Venice) earned his third save of the season, allowing just one run on three hits over 3.0 IP to close out the victory.
Riley Hogan (Orlando) and Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) each recorded their 10th home run of the season in the nightcap. Lane also homered in the opening ballgame against Tulane on Saturday.
Notable
- Lord tallied his second quality start of the season.
- Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) had two hits and four RBI between the two games Saturday.
- USF will be playing for its first conference tournament title since 1995 (Metro Conference).
- The Knights owned a 5-3 record against the Bulls during regular season play in 2021.
Up Next
The USF Bulls and UCF Knights will play for the American Championship on Sunday, May 30 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. The winner will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Regional.
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 –
