Bobby Boser hit a pair of home runs for the Bulls in a thrilling 8-7 victory.
TAMPA (February 17, 2023) – Sophomore Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) hit a pair of towering home runs on Friday night and transfer Travis Sankovich (Uniontown, Pa.) tallied three hits and three RBI in his debut as the University of South Florida Bulls opened the 2023 campaign with an 8-7 victory over No. 13 Maryland.
A crowd of 1,647 was on hand at USF Baseball Stadium for the first tilt of a three-game series.
Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) got the opening night nod on the mound and recorded the win. H. Mink struck out the first two Terrapin batters he faced of the game in a scoreless first inning, and Boser connected on his first longball of the contest in the bottom of the first frame to give South Florida an early 3-0 advantage.
Maryland answered back quickly to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the second before a two-out double by Sankovich put the Bulls back in front 4-3 in the third.
Six of USF’s eight runs on the night came via two-out hits.
Boser left the ballpark once more off Maryland’s All-American pitcher in the sixth inning, this time to the opposite field, to extend the Bulls’ lead to 5-3. Sankovich’s biggest hit of the night came with two outs again in the bottom of the seventh and chased home two runs as USF’s lead swelled to 8-3.
The potent Terrapin lineup did not go down quietly though, as an eighth inning grand slam suddenly made it a one-run game.
Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) remained poised on the mound after giving up the slam and came back in the bottom of the ninth to record the final three outs of the ballgame.
Notable
- Friday was the first meeting in program history between South Florida and Maryland.
- Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) tossed a scoreless inning in relief in his USF debut.
- Ethan Brown (Winter Garden) also gave the Bulls two shutout innings out of the bullpen.
- 2023 Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Watch List recipient, Drew Brutcher (Lakeland), went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored.
- Friday was head coach Billy Mohl’s ninth win over a ranked opponent.
Up Next
The Bulls continue their three-game weekend series against Maryland on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Tampa.
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 –
