Game 2 of the series on Friday has been moved to 12 p.m.
TAMPA (April 14, 2022) – The University of South Florida (19-15, 1-6 AAC) hosted Memphis University (14-15, 2-5 AAC) in the Bulls’ first home conference series of the year on Thursday night at USF Baseball Stadium. The Memphis Tigers claimed the opener of a three-game series, 8-2.
South Florida starting pitcher Orion Kerkering (Venice) was cruising through the Memphis batting order, save for a solo home run in the top of the second inning, before the Tigers caught fire at the plate in the fifth and scored seven runs to open up an 8-0 advantage.
Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) put the Bulls on the board with an RBI-single in the bottom of the fifth and Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) added an RBI-double in the sixth frame, but that was all the offense the home team could muster.
Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) went 2-for-4 in the ballgame for USF.
Nolan Hudi (Safety Harbor), Jack Cebert (Tampa) and Austin Grause (Tampa) combined for 4.0 IP of scoreless relief out of the bullpen. Kerkering finished the game with eight strikeouts over 5.0 IP.
Up Next
Friday’s game between the two teams has been moved to a 12 p.m. start due to the threat of rain. The three-game series will conclude on Saturday with an 11 a.m. first pitch.
For tickets, please visit usfbullstix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. 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 players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays’ postseason game one starter in 2021.
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