Daniel Cantu matched his career high with five RBI on Tuesday night.
DAYTONA BEACH (March 28, 2023) – For the second time in three games, Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) recorded five RBI to help lift the University of South Florida Bulls (10-16) over the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats (14-11) on Tuesday night, 9-3.
South Florida halted Bethune-Cookman’s five-game winning streak as the Bulls opened a stretch of four straight road games.
Cantu reached base in all five of his plate appearances, officially going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a walk, HBP and five RBI to match his career high. John Montes went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a HBP.
Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) led off the ballgame with a ground-rule double over the left-center field fence and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Drew Brutcher (Lakeland).
The Wildcats tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and proceeded to load the bases with only one out in the inning, but a spectacular defensive play prevented the go-ahead run from scoring. Brutcher made a diving catch in the left-center field gap and quickly recovered to his feet and doubled off the runner at second base to end the inning as the runner tagging from third was also racing home.
The Bulls reclaimed the lead on a sacrifice fly by Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) in the top of the sixth inning.
After loading the bases in the third inning, but failing to score, USF cashed in four insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh. Montes doubled with one out, Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.) walked and Brutcher singled to load the bases. Cantu (Jacksonville) doubled home a pair, while Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) and Travis Sankovich (Uniontown, Pa.) added RBI-singles to cap the frame and give the Bulls a 6-1 advantage.
Cantu delivered again with the bases loaded in the eighth inning with a three-run double to make it a 9-1 ballgame.
The Wildcats added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run homer to account for the final score.
On the mound, Lawson Gailey (Lavonia, Ga.) tallied his first collegiate win for the Bulls. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and struck out three over 5.0 IP. Justin Jackson (Naples), Nolan Hudi (Safety Harbor) and Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) each turned in scoreless relief appearances.
Notable
- Cantu is hitting .643 (9-for-14) with five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI over his last three games.
- Montes has hit safely in 16 of his last 21 games with 11 multi-hit efforts.
- Brutcher extended his hitting streak to nine games and has reached base safely in 22 consecutive outings.
- Snow extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
- Betancourt recorded his fourth career multi-hit game and is batting .351 over his first 10 collegiate games.
- Nelson Rivera (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) returned to the lineup after missing the past six games with an injury.
- The Bulls’ offense is averaging 11 runs over its last three games.
- USF improved to 8-0 when leading after six innings this season.
- The Bulls improved to 64-17 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, including six straight wins against the Wildcats.
- USF turned three double plays in the game and now has 26 on the season which ranks in the top 10 among all NCAA teams.
Up Next
The Bulls are on the road once again for the start of conference play at UCF on March 31-April 2 in Orlando.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). 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 Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program’s first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
