Jack Cebert gave the Bulls seven strong innings on the mound Friday night.
WICHITA, Kan. (May 12, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls (19-31, 7-12 AAC) used timely hitting and got a gritty outing from sophomore Jack Cebert (Tampa) on Friday night in a 10-9 victory over the Wichita State Shockers (27-21, 10-8 AAC) in the opener of a three-game weekends series at Eck Stadium.
Seven of South Florida’s 10 runs in the ballgame came with two outs and were the product of rallies that began in innings with two outs and no runners on base.
Freshman Rafael Betancourt (Deltona) went 4-for-6 with a triple, three doubles and two RBI. Sophomore Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) hit his 15th home run of the season. Boser’s home run total is tied for ninth all-time in program single-season history.
Down one pitcher in the starting rotation, and facing a doubleheader on Saturday, Cebert (4-3) ate up seven innings on the mound for the second consecutive outing and prevailed with the win. The right-hander allowed six runs on 11 hits and struck out four with zero walks over 7.0 IP.
The Shockers took the first and their only lead of the night with a run in the bottom of the first inning. USF put together its first two-out rally in the top of the second frame to claim a 3-1 advantage.
Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) walked with two outs and later advanced on a wild pitch. Jackson Mayo (St. Johns) followed with an RBI-single to tie the game. Boser was next with a run-scoring hit and Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) followed with an RBI-double. Brutcher was robbed by the left fielder of his 32nd career home run on the deep drive to left, but his hit gave the Bulls a 3-1 lead, nonetheless.
Wichita State cut its deficit in half, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth, but an RBI-single by Joaquin Monque (Weston) in the top of the fifth padded the USF lead back to 4-2.
The Shockers answered again with two runs in the bottom of the fifth only to see the Bulls respond with a four spot in the top of the sixth inning. The two-out rally in the sixth was sparked by a walk to Brutcher. Eric Snow (Forsyth, Ga.) followed with a single and both runners came around to score on a two-run triple by Betancourt. Monque capped the frame with a two-run double.
Boser’s two-run homer came in the top of the seventh and was answered with a two-run blast by the Shockers in the bottom of the frame to make it a 10-6 affair.
Wichita State went on to plate three more runs in the eighth inning to make it a two-run ballgame before Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) entered and recorded the final six outs to nail down his sixth save of the season.
Notable
- Boser’s 15 home runs are the most by a Bull since Joe Genord (16) in 2018.
- Boser is batting .389 and slugging .861 with 24 RBI and leads the AAC with nine homers during league play this season.
- Betancourt’s three doubles are the most in a game by a Bull since Carmine Lane on April 5, 2022.
- USF’s 17 hits on Friday are the second-most this season – six doubles are a season-high.
Up Next
The Bulls and Shockers will play a doubleheader on Saturday, May 13 beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The series was changed to a Saturday doubleheader due to inclement weather forecast on Sunday in Wichita.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). 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 Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program’s first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
