Nelson Rivera went 4-for-6 with an RBI-double in Thursday’s doubleheader.
TAMPA (May 20, 2021) – The USF Bulls (22-26, 12-14 AAC) opened their final series of the regular season on Thursday and dropped both games of a doubleheader to the No. 10-ranked East Carolina Pirates. ECU was a 10-1 winner in game one, and prevailed with a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
With the sweep, coupled with a pair of Tulane losses on Thursday, East Carolina claimed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship and will be the top seed in the postseason tournament beginning on Tuesday in Clearwater. USF is now locked in as the sixth seed in the tournament.
Game 1
While the Pirates’ offense put up 10 runs in the opener, defense was the story in not only game one, but the entire day in Tampa.
ECU struck first with a run in the top of the third inning, but USF answered right back to knot the score at 1-1 on an RBI-groundout by Carmine Lane (Lake Placid).
USF starter Joseph Sanchez (Miami) nearly escaped a Pirate threat in the fifth inning on a fantastic diving grab by Nick Gonzalez (Tampa), but the shortstop’s throw short-hopped Riley Hogan (Orlando) at first base and the go-ahead run crossed the plate. A bunt single and a Bulls’ error followed to give ECU a 3-1 advantage.
The Pirates then broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth inning on five hits, two USF errors and a wild pitch.
Despite being charged with the loss, Sanchez (0-2) pitched well in his first spot start of the year. The southpaw scattered eight hits, most of which were seeing-eye singles (one extra-base hit), and allowed three runs over 5.0 IP.
Game 2
The Pirates hung another crooked number on the scoreboard in the finale, all of which were unearned with the help of two USF defensive miscues in the third inning.
Once again, the Bulls responded in a hurry, cutting into their 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the third on an RBI-single by Hogan.
A two-out RBI-double by Nelson Rivera (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) in the fourth frame made it a 5-2 affair.
The Bulls would proceed to put at least one runner on base in each of the final five innings, and brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth, but were unable to push across any more runs.
With two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth, Matt Ruiz (Hialeah) pounded a ball up the middle which looked to be ticketed to center field, but instead, the Pirates turned a dazzling inning-ending double play to snuff out the rally.
The Bulls went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in the nightcap.
Notable
- Rivera reached base safely five times and went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader.
- Connor Churchill (Tampa) and Devin Hemenway (Niceville) combined for 3.2 IP of scoreless relief in Game 1.
- Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) and Logan Lyle (Bartow) each tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Game 2.
Up Next
The Bulls and Pirates continue their four-game series on Friday at 3 p.m.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 56th season in 2021. The Bulls have won 1,628 games entering the 2021 season and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three since 2015. The Bulls have won four conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt and 1 Metro) and had 126 all-conference selections. USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who appeared in the 2020 World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bulls saw continued success in head coach Billy Mohl’s first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, and making the program’s latest NCAA Tournament appearance while also achieving a ranking in multiple polls for the final two months of the season.
– #GoBulls –
