John Montes hit two of USF’s home runs in Saturday’s 11-8 loss.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 30, 2024) – The Charlotte 49ers (13-15, 3-3 AAC) scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday to erase an 8-5 deficit and take an 11-8 victory over the University of South Florida Bulls (16-12, 3-3 AAC) in the rubber match of a three-game series.
The Niners began their rally with a leadoff single in the eighth before Lawson Gailey (Lavonia, Ga.) recorded two quick outs and looked to escape the inning with an 8-5 lead intact. Gailey then walked the next two batters to load the bases and turned the ball over to Chandler Dorsey (Lakeland). Dorsey walked the first batter he faced to force in a run before surrendering three straight hits. All six Charlotte runs came with two outs in the inning.
South Florida overcame a 3-0 deficit in the second inning and led from the fourth inning on before Charlotte’s rally.
The Bulls scored five runs in the fourth frame to take their first lead of the afternoon. John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) sparked the inning with a two-run homer and Stewart Puckett (DeLeon Springs) belted a go-ahead three-run blast. Puckett hit his first career home run on Saturday at Charlotte.
Montes, the reigning AAC Player of the Week, stayed hot in his next at-bat, homering once again to extend the USF lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth.
Charlotte got a pair back and made it a 6-5 affair in the bottom of the sixth inning before the Bulls answered once more in the top of the seventh. Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) padded the USF lead with his 37th career home run to make it an 8-5 affair.
Notable
- Brutcher ranks sixth all-time in USF history with 37 home runs and is two away from a fifth-place tie. The senior recorded three free passes over the three-game series to move into 10th place all-time for career walks (128). Brutcher entered the weekend leading the NCAA in walks and now has 36 this season – one off his career high.
- Montes tallied his first career two-homer game.
- Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) was in line for the win before Charlotte’s late rally. The right-hander blanked the Niners over 2.2 IP with a pair of strikeouts in relief of starter Bryce Archie (Powder Springs, Ga.).
- Joaquin Monque played all three games in the series at shortstop – marking his first such starts in his collegiate career. Eric Snow, who traveled with the team, was unable to play due to an illness. Matthew Buffington, who is battling a thumb injury, played all three at first base and Ben Rozenblum was forced to catch three games in two days for the short-handed Bulls.
- Rafael Betancourt (knee) and Bobby Boser (hand) remain sidelined for South Florida.
- Saturday’s game marked the end of a stretch that saw USF play 12 games in 16 days from March 15-30.
Up Next
The Bulls conclude a five-game road stretch at Stetson on Tuesday, April 2. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. in DeLand, Fla. USF will then return to Tampa for a three-game conference series against Wichita State beginning on Friday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Double Play Passes, which include one ticket to every home baseball and softball game, can be purchased now for $99. Group and single game tickets are also on sale and can be purchased here or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 59th season in 2024 under head coach Billy Mohl (seventh 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 19 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Eric Snow in 2023. 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.
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