The Bulls have walked it off on back-to-back nights.
TAMPA, APRIL 18, 2025– Bradke Lohry’s ninth inning heroics handed the University of South Florida baseball team (22-14; 11-4 AAC) a dramatic 7-6 win over the visiting Charlotte 49ers (21-17; 8-6 AAC) in the second game of their series on Friday evening at Red McEwen Field.
The win keeps South Florida in second place of the AAC standings. The Bulls are now one game behind the UTSA Roadrunners and have a one-game cushion on ECU and a two-game cushion over Charlotte.
Left-hander Corey Braun took the mound for his tenth start of the season and quickly struck out all three batters to retire the side in the first inning.
The third inning was packed with action as Charlotte opened the inning with three straight hits, ultimately scoring the first run of the game with an RBI-double. A second 49er run came across the plate on a sacrifice fly. The Bulls answered quickly as Sebastian Grieco hit a two-out double to right field to score Jackson Mayo and cut the lead in half.
Charlotte reclaimed a two-run lead in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly and took a three-run lead with a one-out home run in the sixth inning. Jackson Mayo delivered the response for South Florida, a two-out, two-run double to cut the lead to one.
Braun continued his impressive outing in the top of the seventh when he struck out his tenth batter, setting a new career-high in the process. The Bulls took a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning after Grieco smashed his twelfth home run of the season to left center field.
Braun tallied his eleventh strikeout in the eighth inning, shortly before the visiting 49ers recaptured the lead with a two-run triple.
South Florida had their backs against the wall in the bottom of the ninth. Stewart Puckett reached with a one-out single before Lance Trippel drew a walk to put the tying run in scoring position. Lohry battled to a full count, fouling off multiple pitches to stay in it. He then delivered a single into right field that easily scored pinch runner Jacob Green, before Trippel thundered around third and scored the winning run.
Key Stats:
- Braun struck out 11 batters to set a new career high. He is the first USF pitcher to strike out 11 batters since Hunter Mink did so vs. FAU on April 26, 2024.
- Braun has struck out at least nine batters twice this season, with the other mark coming on February 28th against UCF.
- 13 strikeouts by the pitching staff is the most recorded in a game this season.
- Mayo recorded his eighth multi-RBI game of the season.
- Lohry recorded his seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
- Greico’s 12 home runs lead both the team and the AAC.
- Greico recorded his ninth multi-hit game of the season.
- Greico recorded his twelfth multi-RBI game of the season.
- Puckett recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season.
Notables:
- Trippel threw out his 16th baserunner of the season and gave South Florida their AAC-leading 20th runner caught stealing this season.
- Braun has pitched six or more innings in eight games this season.
- Tonight’s victory is the first time this season that the Bulls have won a game when trailing after eight innings.
- Brodil has now reached base in 14 consecutive conference games.
- South Florida has their second walk-off hit in as many nights.
- Right-hander Nolan Bernard earned his first career win.
Up Next:
South Florida returns to Red McEwen Field tomorrow, Saturday, April 19th, for the final game of the series with Charlotte. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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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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