Nelson Rivera hit a grand slam for USF in Tuesday afternoon’s 7-4 loss.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (May 24, 2022) – Nelson Rivera (Tao Alto, Puerto Rico) hit a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the sixth inning for the University of South Florida in the opening round of the American Baseball Championship, but the lead was short-lived as ECU’s Bryson Worrell also connected on a grand slam in the bottom half of the frame and the Pirates held on for a 7-4 victory on Tuesday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark.
Top-seeded and No. 23-nationally ranked ECU improves to 39-18 with the victory and extends their nation-leading winning streak to 15 in a row. South Florida falls to 28-28 and will head to an elimination game on Wednesday.
All seven ECU runs in the ballgame were scored with two outs.
The Bulls loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning but were held off the scoreboard as the Pirates held onto their 3-0 advantage. In the sixth, Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) and Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) each singled to prompt an ECU pitching change that brought in the AAC Pitcher of the Year Carter Spivey.
Spivey walked Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) with one out to load the bases and bring Rivera to the plate. The sophomore catcher unloaded on an 0-1 pitch to suddenly give USF a 4-3 edge. Marcus Brodil (Dunedin) followed with a triple and looked to score on a deep fly by from Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel), but Worrell threw out the runner at the plate.
Despite a bit of a momentum pause with that defense play, South Florida, who won the 2021 tournament title as a six seed, had the lead on its side and reminded the league exactly what they are capable of.
The Bulls then called on their best bullpen arm Orion Kerkering (Venice) in the bottom of the sixth. Kerkering quickly retired the first two batters he faced before the pesky Pirates strung together three straight hits, including a pair of infield singles, to load the bases. Worrell was next and cleared the bases with one swing of the bat to put ECU back in front, 7-4.
Notable
- Rivera’s is the first Bull to hit a grand slam since Jordan Santos on April 10, 2019.
- Lane, who led the AAC in hits and RBI this season went 1-for-4 in the ballgame.
Up Next
The Bulls will face Tulane in an elimination game on Wednesday, May 25 at 3 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to another elimination contest on Friday, May 27 at 1 p.m.
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.
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