A crowd of 3,211, tied for second-highest at USF Baseball Stadium was on hand
TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball (2-2; 0-0 AAC) fell to 2-2 on the season following a 6-2 loss to No. 9 Florida State (4-0; 0-0 ACC) Tuesday before a sellout crowd at the USF Baseball Stadium.
The Bulls saw a strong performance turned in by starter Bryce Archie who went three innings, holding the Seminoles scoreless on three hits while giving up one walk and striking out four. Archie recorded strike outs with runners on base to end the second and third innings.
Florida State opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Junior Landen Yorek who came on in relief of starter Bryce Archie, gave up a walk and a single to start the inning. He retired the next two batters before a two-out triple cleared the bases to put the Seminoles on the board. Yorek (0-1) was saddled with the loss.
Caleb Pundsack took over for Yorek with one out in the top of the fourth and was greeted by a solo home run by Max Williams to extend Florida State’s lead to 3-0. Following the home run, Pundsack gave up a single then retired the next two batters to limit the damage to one run.
The Bulls got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. Carter Murphy got it started with a two-out triple. Ryan Pruitt singled to drive him in, Pruitt’s team-high sixth RBI on the young season, chasing Seminoles starter Evan Chrest.
In the bottom of the sixth USF loaded the bases with one out. Rafael Betancourt singled, Marcus Brodil was hit by a pitch, which was called a ball but overturned following a replay review, and Matt Rose walked. The Bulls were unable to capitalize as a strikeout and ground out ended the inning, stranding three of the 10 runners left on base by the Bulls.
Florida State extended the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Corey Kling, pitching in relief of Pundsack, gave up a one-out walk to Max Williams, who advanced to second on a passed ball. Following a strikeout of Cal Fisher, Jaxon West hit a bloop single to center field to plate Williams.
The Seminoles added two runs in the top of the ninth. Reliever Brandon Keyster gave up a leadoff bunt single to Gage Harrelson, a walk to Max Williams advanced Harrelson to second. A groundout to first advanced the runners to second and third. Adam Longoria came on in relief of Keyster and gave up a single to right to the first batter he faced, scoring Harrelson and Williams.
USF answered with a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Bulls put the first two batters aboard. Jackson Mayo singled and stole second. A single by Sebastian Greico advanced Mayo to third. Mayo scored on a sacrifice fly by Carter Murphy. Ryan Pruitt walked advancing Anthony Quigley, pinch running for Greico, to second. A strikeout and ground out ended the game.
Key Stats:
• USF starter Bryce Archie pitched three scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out four with one walk. Archie recorded strike outs with runners on base to end the second and third innings.
• Junior Ryan Pruitt continued his hot start. Pruitt drove in the Bulls only run, his team-high sixth RBI of the season. Pruitt was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll after he went 5-for-9 (.556) with two home runs, including a grand slam with five RBI in the opening series.
• USF pitchers stranded 11 Florida base runners while the Bulls left 10 runners on.
Notables:
• The sellout crowd of 3,211 tied for the second largest crowd in USF Baseball Stadium history. (3-9-2021 vs. Florida).
• USF used six different pitchers who recorded a combined 11 strikeouts
Up Next:
The Bulls make their first road trip of the season. USF will play at Georgia Southern Fri. Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m., Sat. Feb 22 at 2:00 p.m. and Sun. Feb. 23 at 1:00 p.m. The games can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on Bulls Unlimited radio.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls baseball at the USF Baseball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
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About USF Baseball
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida’s eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. 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 and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades. USF has had 131 MLB Draft Picks. Former 2018 first-round draft pick, Shane McClanahan, is a two-time MLB All-Star.
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