GoUSFBulls.com Bulls Claim Victory in first battle of War on I-4

[Brad]

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Bulls Claim Victory in first battle of War on I-4

Luke Borders walkoff in the 11^th sealed the win for USF

 

TAMPA, APRIL 7, 2017 – Leading, 4-2, in the top of the ninth, the University of Central Florida rallied to tie the contest sending things into extras where senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) gave the University of South Florida baseball team a thrilling 5-4 win in game one of this weekend’s War on I-4 series.

The Bulls (25-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run fourth in which they had just one hit. Great patience at the plate resulted in four walks and a hit-by-pitch, facilitating the three men scoring. 

But the Knights (23-8) would inch closer in the sixth. After getting the first two men on due to walks, a groundout and a single through the right side brought two runs across home plate, making it 3-2.

After USF made it 4-2 in the seventh, it brought in Andrew Perez (Orlando) to close the door in the ninth. Perez uncharacteristically allowed two runs, and the hosts could not respond in the ninth to send things into extras. 

Sophomore Cam Montgomery (Windermere, Fla.) led off the 11th and singled in his only at bat. After two outs, Borders stepped in and drove a 0-1 pitch slowly up the middle of the infield, allowing Montgomery to score with no throw attempt made for the win. 

Key Stats

• Borders had one of his best games of the year with a season-high three hits (3-5). He had two runs scored and two RBI, as a solo blast to right center in the seventh made it 4-2 at the time.
• Borders was the only other Bulls with multiple hits. Sophomore David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had a double in the fourth to drive in a run, and he scored one as well.
• Junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) went 0-for-2, but walked four times for the second time this season, the second-most in program history.
• Senior starter Phoenix Sanders (Gainesville, Fla.) tossed 6.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out five.
• Junior Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) three 2.0 innings in relief and allowed just one hit to pair with four strikeouts.
• Senior Mark Savarese (Palm City, Fla.) picked up the win to improve to 2-0 as a reliever.

Notables

• This was the third walk-off win for USF this season, as all three have come at home.
• It also marked the second-straight year that the Bulls have delivered the Knights a walk-off, 5-4 defeat, as Luke Maglich did so last season.
• The Bulls are now 66-59 against UCF all time and 40-25 in Tampa.

 

Up Next

Baseball’s War on I-4 continues tomorrow with game two of this weekend’s three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and it will be the third annual Bark with the Bulls game. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the ballpark and head to the team store for potential prizes, as the first 50 fans to show their pal at the store will receive a free bandana.

[JoeB]

Huge Win.  Need to follow it up with another one tomorow!  Go Bulls!