Game info: Bulls vs UCONN series

[BrassBulls12]

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by BrassBulls12

[BrassBulls12]

A Five-Run Sixth Gives Bulls Win to Even UConn Series

TAMPA, MARCH 24, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team scored the final six runs, including five in the sixth inning to knock off UConn 8-4 Friday, evening the opening series of conference play.  

The Huskies (11-8, 1-1 The American) and Bulls (17-7, 1-1 The American) each plated two in the second inning. UConn added runs in the third and fifth to lead 4-2 heading into the sixth.

Junior Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) got the inning started with leadoff triple to center, then Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) walked, which forced the Huskies to go to the bullpen. Zech scored on the next at-bat, but it was a double play, emptying the bags with two gone. David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) each singled, then Joe Genord(Lake Worth, Fla.) doubled to right, giving the Bulls their first lead of the weekend, 5-4.

The two-out rally continued, as Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) tripled to right center, scoring Genord. Then JD Dutka(Suwanee, Ga.) singled through the left, making it 7-4. USF added another in the seventh, giving the bullpen plenty of insurance.

Key Stats 

3 – The Bulls had three triples in the game. Chatfield hit his fourth and Zech hit his sixth.  
7 – USF had a balanced attack on offense, as seven different players scored.
10 – The Bulls had 10 hits in the game, the 15^th time they've done that this year.

Notables

• Junior Coco Montes (Miami) went 2-for-4 with a run, RBI and his first career triple.
• Stunkel Jr. also went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI.
• Redshirt senior righty Peter Strzelecki (Lake Worth, Fla.) got the win to improve to 3-1 on the year. He went 6.0 innings and struck out five.
• Richie Cruz (Miami) and Kevin King (Orlando) combined to throw the final 3.0 innings, allowing just three hits with two strikeouts each.

[Brad]

A lot of bats that inning.  This team is showing the ability to have these explosive innings, fueled by extra-base hits.

Let's take it today!

 

[BrassBulls12]

Big Joe coming through in the clutch. 

[Brad]

[Brad]

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Bulls Walk-Off Huskies to Take Opening Conference Series

Duke Stunkel Jr. played hero with a single in the ninth, as USF has walked off the last two Sunday’s
 

TAMPA, MARCH 25, 2018 – Senior outfielderDuke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) delivered the big hit with a walk-off single in the ninth to give the USF baseball team a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series win against UConn to open league play.

It was a pitching duel early, as the game was scoreless through 6.0 innings. The Bulls (18-7, 2-1 The American) threatened in the bottom half of the sixth, loading the bags, but were unable to drive in any runs. 

The Huskies (11-9, 1-2 The American) also loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but with no outs. A hard grounder to third was snagged by a diving David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who threw home to prevent a run from scoring. But the throw was just off the mark, forcing Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) to come off the plate. UConn hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the next at-bat, but a second run scored, making it 2-0.

In the eighth, the Huskies went to their closer, and Villar singled off him with one out, bringing up Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.). The junior first baseman turned on the second pitch and powered it over the center field wall, tying the game.

Andrew Perez (Orlando) came in for the ninth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. In the bottom half, Dietrich got the offense going with a one-out single. After a walk was issued to Coco Montes (Miami), Stunkel Jr. clinched the series with a single to right center, scoring Dietrich. 

Key Stats 

3 – The Bulls have three walk-off hits this season and have walked off the last two Sundays.

5 – USF has won five-straight series and is 14-3 in the month of March.

5 – Genord’s homer was his fifth of the season. He went 1-for-2 with two walks.

6.0 – Sophomore righty Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) gave up just three hits in 6.0 innings. He allowed one run and had five strikeouts.

Notables

·   Dietrich finished with three hits and the game-winning run.

·   Stunkel Jr. and JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) each had doubles in the game. 

·   Connor Eason (Chesapeake, Va.) pitched the seventh and eighth and was perfect.

·   Perez picked up his third win of the year. 

 

Quotables

Head coach Billy Mohl talking about the walk-off in the ninth:
“Dietrich did a good job of getting on, then Coco walked to put him into scoring position. Duke came up clutch. He’s a senior who has been in those situations before and did what an experienced player is supposed to do.”

Head coach Billy Mohl on the team coming back from deficits the last two games to win:
“It shows the resiliency of our team. We’re never out of a game and preach that all the time with the offense that we have and all the leaders. Those guys do what they’ve been doing, continue to battle and we ended up on the right side today.” 
 

Up Next

The Bulls welcome Stetson for a Tuesday matchup at 6:30 p.m., before conference play resumes with a three-game series in Tampa against Tulane starting Thursday.