GoUSFBulls.com Bulls Rally Past Tulane to Open Conference Tourney

[Brad]

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Bulls Rally Past Tulane to Open Conference Tourney

By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla., MAY 23, 2017 – Powered by a two-run eighth inning, fourth-seeded USF rallied past fifth-seeded Tulane, 7-6, in the opening round of the American Athletic Conference Championship at Spectrum Field.

Duke Stunkel Jr. tied things up in the pivotal eighth frame with an RBI double and came around to score the winning run on a Tulane fielding error. USF (41-15) initially built confidence at the plate with a three-run homer by Chris Chatfield in the fourth inning. David Villar hit a solo homer an inning later and went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and walks.

Tulane (27-30) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out rally that started with a close play at first base. Grant Witherspoon just beat the throw on an infield single that scored Grant Brown. On batter later, Hunter Hope hit a two-run homer over the left field wall.

USF showcased some power of its own in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game up in the process. Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) launched a three-run homer that landed well over the 401-foot sign in center field.

Trailing, 6-3, in the fifth frame, USF's power surge continued with a solo homer in line-drive fashion to left field off the bat of Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.). One inning later, Villar was back at it with a two-out RBI single to center field that cut the Bulls' deficit to 6-5.

Stunkel denied Tulane's Hope of extra bases with a leaping catch at center field wall in the sixth and provided more heroics in the eighth. Stunkel's team-leading 15th double scored Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) from first before Stunkel tallied the winning run from third with one out.

USF's bullpen came through in the clutch with Andrew Perez (Miami) striking out three in two scoreless innings. Joe Cavallaro (Venice, Fla.) closed the door on Tulane by stranding two runners in the ninth inning of his fifth save of the season.

 

Notables

- USF improved to 32-0 this season when leading after eight innings. The Bulls are 19-8 in games decided by two runs or fewer.

- The Bulls have won at least one conference tournament game in each of the last six seasons.

- Starter Phoenix Sanders recorded his 100th strikeout of the season to cap off a 1-2-3 first inning. Sanders now leads the team with 102 strikeouts. USF's pitching staff added to its single-season program strikeout record that's up to 582.

- Sanders gave up three runs on five hits in four innings. The right-hander exited the game shortly after a ball deflected off his pitching hand on the play that gave Tulane a 1-0 lead. “We don't think it's anything serious,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “We'll probably know a little bit more tomorrow, but it was a combination of let's not push it, let's not take any chances with the postseason the following weeks as well. It seemed like the right time.”

- USF posted its fifth multi-homer game of the season. The Bulls hit two homers in a game for the third time this season.

 

Quotables

Head coach Mark Kingston on how the game unfolded for the Bulls:

“It was two really good teams that were able to take advantage of the conditions. The wind was blowing out hard today, so you saw a lot of homers from both teams. I just thought at the end, we got one more big hit.”

Kingston on the importance of starting the tournament with a win:

“It's hard to win at the end if you don't start successfully. In a tournament like this, getting off on a good foot is paramount. You're still only going to be as good as your next game, so we'll catch our breath tomorrow and come out the next day ready to go.”

Kingston on Chris Chatfield's three-run homer that tied the game up in the fourth inning:

“I think that was a ball that he just timed well and he got the barrel to where that ball was cutting. It went a long way, no doubt about it, and I thought that sparked us. That kind of gave us a little confidence that we could potentially get those guys.”

Duke Stunkel on the key to success during the pivotal, two-run eighth inning that put USF ahead:

“I think it was just stringing our hits together. Throughout the game, we were getting some hits… We were just stringing them together when it mattered, which is huge because we weren't able to do that early on.”

 

Key Stats

- Andrew Perez improved to 6-2 after striking out the side in the eighth and scattering two hits in two scoreless innings. Perez lowered his season ERA to 1.78.

- USF recorded four of its 10 total strikeouts in the final two innings to seal the win.

- Leadoff man Kevin Merrell went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Catcher Andres Leal collected two of USF's 10 total hits.

 

Up Next

USF has yet to decide on a starting pitcher for Thursday's 7 p.m. game against the East Carolina-UCF winner on Tuesday night. Tickets can be purchased at the Spectrum Field box office or by calling 727-467-4457.

[JoeB]

Great game by the Bulls, had many opportunities and finally we were able to punch some in late in the game!  Great job by everyone!

[JoeB]

Also the rumor is Shane is ready to go for Thursday...lets hope so, need to Win!

[Ionbull]

9 hours ago, JoeB said:

Also the rumor is Shane is ready to go for Thursday...lets hope so, need to Win!

Oh wow! Billy M knows best!

[CousinRicky]

15 hours ago, JoeB said:

Also the rumor is Shane is ready to go for Thursday...lets hope so, need to Win!

Goes against both my sources.  I'll send you a private message so we can compare.