The Bulls returned to the win column on Saturday afternoon in Tampa.
TAMPA (April 16, 2022) – Battling through injuries up and down the roster, the University of South Florida (20-16, 2-7 AAC) snapped a three-game skid on Saturday afternoon with a 9-2 victory over the University of Memphis (15-16, 3-6 AAC) at USF Baseball Stadium.
Following the win in the three-game series finale, head coach Billy Mohl provided an update on some key injuries that have slowed the Bulls of late. Right-handed pitcher Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill), who hasn’t appeared in a game since March 26th, has been shut down for the remainder of the 2022 campaign and outfielder Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) is projected to be out for the next month with a lower body injury. Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs), who had been playing through a foot injury for the past two weeks, will be out for the next 2-3 weeks, and Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) is day-to-day after he was hit by a pitch on Friday. Right-handed pitcher Dylan Vega (Pemboke Pines) has also been sidelined for several weeks with an injury and southpaw Devin Hemenway (Niceville) left the mound on Friday with an apparent injury.
Despite the mounting injuries, the short-handed Bulls found a way on Saturday to avoid being swept at home for the first time since 2019.
The American Athletic Conference hits (56) and RBI (44) leader, Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) powered USF with a 4-for-5 effort and four RBI. Freshman Jackson Mayo (St. Johns) launched his seventh home run of the season and fellow rookie Sonny Rao (Orlando) went 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and a pair of RBI.
Looking to secure the conference road sweep, Memphis jumped out to a 2-0 lead with runs in the top of the second and third innings before the Bulls offense got going.
In the bottom of the third, Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) was hit by a pitch and Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) walked to open the frame. Rao followed with a two-run triple to immediately knot the score and Lane was next with the go-ahead single.
In the fourth, Boser singled with one out and Rao extended the frame with a two-out base hit. Lane delivered again with an RBI-single and Mayo followed with a towering three-run blast to right-center field to give USF a 7-2 advantage.
Lane stretched the Bulls’ lead with run-scoring singles in both the sixth and eighth innings.
On the mound, Ethan Brown (Winter Gardens) pitched well for the third consecutive outing in his new-found role of Game 3 starter. The left-hander allowed two runs on six hits and struck out a pair over 4.0 IP. Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) earned the win in his best and longest (3.0 IP) relief appearance of the season.
Notable
- Saturday was the fourth four-hit game in Lane’s career and the redshirt sophomore continues to lead USF this season in multi-hit games (17) and multi-RBI outings (14). He currently owns an eight-game hitting streak. Lane has three career games with at least four RBI.
- Boser and Rao each tallied their first career multi-hit game on Saturday.
- Joey Volini (Tampa) struck out two over two scoreless innings from the bullpen to close the game.
Up Next
The Bulls have four road games scheduled for next week beginning with a non-conference tilt at Florida A&M on Tuesday, April 19 at 4 p.m. USF will then travel to Cincinnati for a three-game weekend series.
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.
– #GoBulls –
