Dylan Burns struck out seven in Friday’s opener against the Bearcats.
TAMPA (April 30, 2021) – The USF Bulls (16-20, 6-8 AAC) returned to their home field on Friday for the first time in nearly a month, and came away with a doubleheader split against the Cincinnati Bearcats (20-19, 9-9 AAC) to open a four-game weekend series.
Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) and Orion Kerkering (Venice) combined for 10 strikeouts in the opener for a 4-2 USF victory. Cincinnati took control early in the nightcap and held off the Bulls in a 5-3 affair.
Game 1
The Bearcats jumped on Burns for a first inning run to begin the day, but the redshirt senior quickly flipped the script. With the final out of the first frame, where Burns escaped a bases-loaded jam, the right-hander proceeded to retire the next 12 batters he faced.
With Burns dealing, the USF offense got things going in the fifth inning against one of the top pitchers in the conference – southpaw Garrett Schoenle.
Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) led off the inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Gonzalez (Tampa). Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) followed with a double, and two batters later, Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) chased home both runners with a clutch two-out single to give the Bulls a 2-1 advantage.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the sixth, Burns was lifted for Kerkering with two outs and two on, and was picked up by his freshman teammate.
The Bulls doubled up their score in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI-triple by Cantu and a safety squeeze by Gonzalez.
Kerkering allowed one final run in the top of the seventh, but cruised for the remainder of the game to nail down his second save of the season.
Game 2
Cincinnati wasted little time taking a lead once again in the nightcap in the top of the first inning, but Riley Hogan (Orlando) quickly evened up the score in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer.
The Bearcats kept the press on this time though, extending their lead to 4-1 after three innings against Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill).
Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) cut the USF deficit to 4-2 with an RBI-single in the fourth frame, and the Bulls had plenty of other opportunities to chip away or even take the lead, but ultimately stranded 12 runners on base in the setback.
USF out-hit Cincinnati in the finale, 10-7, but went 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and drove in a run with only two of those hits.
Joseph Sanchez (Miami) gave the Bulls a chance to battle back with a strong relief appearance, allowing one run on just one hit with five strikeouts over 4.2 IP.
Notable
- Burns is 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA (13 ER/33 IP) since joining the rotation on March 20th.
- Hogan saw his streak of reaching base safely in 26 consecutive games come to an end in Game 1.
- Jake Sullivan (Tampa) went 3-for-4 in Game 1.
- Sanchez logged new career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts in Game 2.
Up Next
The Bulls and Bearcats continue their series with a single game on Saturday, May 1. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa. Sunday’s series finale will be the Bulls’ annual “Cut for the Cure” game. For more details, or to make a donation, click here.
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 –
