Hunter Mink registered a career-high six strikeouts on Friday night.
BOCA RATON (February 24, 2023) – For the second straight game, the University of South Florida Bulls (3-3) handed an in-state foe their first loss of the season with a 5-1 victory in the opener of a three-game weekend series at FAU (4-1) on Friday night.
South Florida entered the series coming off a 10-9 win at No. 7 Florida on Wednesday night where the Bulls rallied for seven runs in the top of the ninth inning in Gainesville. USF tallied its second win of the season on Wednesday over a Top 15 opponent.
Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) logged career highs in innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (6) at FAU. H. Mink improved to 2-0 on the season after allowing one run on five hits in his second consecutive Friday night start.
South Florida got on the board first with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third inning. In the fourth frame, Jackson Mayo (St. Johns) blasted a two-run homer and Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) added an RBI-single. Mayo’s first home run of the season came on Wednesday at No. 7 Florida and he tallied homers in two straight games for the second time in his young career on Friday night.
The Owls got on the board with their lone run of the night off H. Mink in the bottom of the fifth, but the USF bullpen was lights out after the starter exited. Ethan Brown (Winter Garden) and Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) combined to blank FAU over the final three innings. Brown held FAU hitless over 1.2 IP and struck out two batters.
Notable
- USF improved to 2-0 on the road this season.
- The Bulls are 6-0 all-time on the road against FAU.
- Bobby Boser (Wesley Chapel) extended his hitting streak to six straight games to begin the season.
- Cantu, Mayo, Nelson Rivera (Toa Alto, Puerto Rica) and John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) each recorded two hits in the game.
- Rivera is batting 6-for-8 over the last two games.
Up Next
The Bulls and Owls continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday, February 25 at 4 p.m. in Boca Raton.
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 –
