Dylan Burns gave USF a strong relief appearance after a lengthy rain delay in a 5-3 victory.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (June 4, 2021) – If you’ve been around the University of South Florida Bulls baseball team in recent weeks, you’ve heard the saying, “not done yet”.
Not done playing for each other and the seniors on the team. Not done proving doubters wrong. Not done showing they belong exactly where they are.
On Friday afternoon at Florida Ballpark, the Bulls added another page to that playbook by upsetting the host and top seed of the NCAA Gainesville Regional. South Florida (29-27) took down the No. 15-nationally ranked Florida Gators (39-20), 5-3, for the program’s first postseason win over UF since 1982.
USF has used outstanding pitching, improved defense, early offense and clutch hitting as the formula to its recent run of success, and followed that script on Friday in the opening game of the Gainesville Regional.
The Bulls broke the scoring seal in the top of the second inning. Jake Sullivan (Tampa) led off the frame with a single, and two batters later, with two outs, Nelson Rivera (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) chased him home the first run of the game with a double down the left field line.
After flying out to the warning track in left-center field in his first at-bat of the game, Riley Hogan (Orlando) tried his luck in right field and deposited his 12th home run of the season onto the outfield berm to make it a 2-0 ballgame in favor of the Bulls.
The Gators cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the third, but Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) escaped a jam by leaving the tying run stranded at third base with a big strikeout.
Jasiak earned a no decision in his start after allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts over 4.0 IP. The redshirt freshman sat the Gators down in order in his final inning of work.
In the top of the fifth, Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) demolished a solo homer out of the stadium and across the street in left field to pad USF’s lead to 3-1.
Florida answered back again with a run in the bottom of the fifth before the team’s endured a two hour and 18-minute rain delay.
Waiting hasn’t been an issue for this USF team, who won its first conference postseason championship in 26 years to punch its ticket to regionals. When play resumed, the Bulls were more than ready.
Sullivan doubled down the left field line to open the sixth frame after the delay, and came around to score on a passed ball and wild pitch.
The Bulls’ final tally came in the top of the seventh on an RBI-single by Hogan to score Lane.
Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) took over on the hill for USF after the delay and turned in a dominant relief effort. The redshirt senior, who was a member of USF’s 2017 & 2018 regional teams, retired the Gators in order in the sixth and seventh innings.
Burns (5-5) earned the win after allowing just one run on one hit (a solo homer in the eighth) while striking out three over 3.0 IP.
Orion Kerkering (Venice) recorded his team-leading fifth save of the season with a scoreless inning of work in the ninth.
Quotable – Head Coach Billy Mohl
- On USF’s win over Florida – “Jack set the tone for us early on the mound, and Dylan was outstanding out of the bullpen. We had timely hitting and hit a couple of big home runs. This team is playing really well right now.”
- On continuing in the winner’s bracket and the team’s recent run of success – “Just like we told the guys at the conference tournament last week, win number one is huge, and they performed today and put us in a good position heading into tomorrow. We’ve obviously hit our stride at the right time of the season, but this is a good team, we’ve got a talented group of kids who are playing for each other right now.”
Quotable – Catcher Jake Sullivan
- On sitting through a two-hour rain delay and responding immediately – “It wasn’t ideal, but it’s nothing we couldn’t handle. This team has dealt with so much adversity this season, and it’s nothing new to us. I just led off the next inning and wanted to produce a good at-bat and get on base for the next guy.”
Quotable – Pitcher Dylan Burns
- On getting the ball after the rain delay – “I’m always ready when I’m called upon. I knew I might get the ball today, and halfway through the delay, coach told me I was going to the mound.”
- On playing in Florida’s home stadium and the support of the USF fans – “We’re just here to play the game, and play whoever is in front of us next. We can hear our fans just as much as anything else, and their energy has been great for us ever since the conference tournament.”
Notable
- USF’s last postseason win over Florida came in the program’s first-ever NCAA Regional game in 1982 (Atlantic Regional).
- Friday was the Bulls first regional win since June 2, 2018 against Hartford (9-4).
- USF also opened the 2017 Gainesville Regional with a 9-1 win over Bethune-Cookman.
- The Bulls combined to strike out nine batters and issue just one walk on Friday.
- Jasiak ran his streak of scoreless innings pitched to 18 (last three starts) before yielding a run to the Gators in the third frame.
- Lane has three home runs in his last five games, and recorded eight of his 11 homers this season over the past 19 games.
- The Bulls have won 12 of their last 17 games, and seven of their last eight.
- USF has outscored its opponents 47-13 over its last seven wins.
- Over their last 12 wins, the Bulls are outscoring their opponents in the first three innings, 46-9.
- Exactly one month ago, on May 4, USF owned a 17-21 record.
Up Next
The Bulls will face off against the winner of the South Alabama/Miami game. USF’s winner’s bracket game is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
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.
