The Bulls force extra innings but came up short in the season-opener against Marist, 6-4
TAMPA (Feb. 14, 2020) – The University of South Florida baseball team combined for 18 strikeouts and staged a late-inning rally to force extra innings, however the Bulls dropped their season-opener on Friday night to visiting Marist College, 6-4, in 12 innings.
Marist got to opening night starter Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) early, running up the senior’s pitch count as the Red Foxes scored four unanswered runs through six innings of play.
The Bulls came back in the bottom of the seventh inning when Jordan Santos (Tampa, Fla.) scored on a bases loaded wild pitch by Marist’s Ryan Cordona to make the score 4-1. JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) kept the rally alive with a RBI single up the middle scoring Nick Gonzalez (Tampa, Fla.) and cutting the Red Fox lead to 4-2.
USF continued its late game surge forcing extra innings after a ninth inning comeback. Alex Bello (Miami, Fla.) scored the third run for the Bulls on a fielding error by Dylan Hoy, and Jake Sullivan (Tampa, Fla.) tied the game at four-all with a one-out single to third, scoring Dutka.
Marist eventually got the best of the Bulls in the top of the 12th driving in two runs to take game one of the weekend series.
USF and Marist will meet again in game two of the series on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., before close out the three-game homestand on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Notable
· The USF pitching staff recorded 18 strikeouts on the evening (Collin Sullivan (8), Dylan Burns (2), Orion Kerkering (3), Baron Stuart (2), Joe Sanchez (1), and Connor Churchill (2))
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball program is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls earned their third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first rounder, pitcher Shane McClanahan. Third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11th round after being named first team all-conference and an All-American. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls continued the success in head coach Billy Mohl first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls for the final two months of the season. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
– #GoBulls –
