GoUSFBulls.com Bulls Outlasted by Dolphins in Slugfest, 11-9

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USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

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Bulls Outlasted by Dolphins in Slugfest, 11-9

JACKSONVILLE, FLA., MAY 16, 2017 – The University of South Florida baseball team dropped the final midweek game of the regular season in an offensive battle Tuesday at Jacksonville, 11-9.   

In the Bulls’ (39-13, 13-8 The American) second-straight high-scoring midweek game, they found themselves down 3-0 after the second. USF got two back in the fourth before the Dolphins (31-21, 14-4 ASUN) added three in the bottom half to make it 6-2. 

But the Bulls got right back into the game with a four-run fifth to tie the score behind a pair of two-run doubles from senior Luke Borders (Winter Haven, Fla.) and sophomore Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.). 

Jacksonville answered with five in the bottom half of the fifth to take an 11-6 edge. USF began to settle down on the mound, holding the hosts scoreless over the final three innings. The Bulls plated three more runs but could not find a lead and fell to the Dolphins in the slugfest.  

Key Stats

• All nine USF hitters reached base and either scored or drove in a run.
• Borders went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI.
• Junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) and sophomores David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Coco Montes (Miami) and Cameron Montgomery (Windermere, Fla.) each had two hits. The quartet combined for four runs and four RBI.  
• The Bulls had five doubles in the game.

Notables

• USF clubbed double-digit hits for the 29th time this season.
• Redshirt-senior Ryan Valdes (Tampa) tossed the final inning, striking out a pair. His second strikeout marked USF’s 12th of the game and the season’s 544th, tying the program record for most in a single season.

Up Next

The Bulls finish the regular season with a three-game series at UCF beginning Thursday at 6:30.