Series info: USF vs Cincinnati

[Brad]

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

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Offense Stays Hot, No. 24 Bulls Win Game 1 of Friday’s Twin Bill

USF tallied double-digit hits for the 28^th time this season; with a win, Bulls secure no worse than the No. 3 seed in next week’s conference tournament in Clearwater.  
 

CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 18, 2018 – The 24^th—ranked University of South Florida baseball team used a balance offense to take the first game of Friday’s doubleheader at Cincinnati, 8-6, forcing a decisive Game 3. 

The Bulls (31-18-1, 13-9-1 The American) scored in the first on doubles from Coco Montes (Miami) and David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), then the Bearcats (28-25, 12-11 The American) tied it on a solo shot in the second.

With two men on and two outs in the top of the third, Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) singled to shallow right center, scoring Duke Stunkel Jr.(Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). In the next at-bat, JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) lined a two-RBI double down the left field line, scoring Villar and Chatfield to give USF a 4-1 edge.

After USF added to the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, Cincy got closer thanks to a pair of homers in the bottom half, making it 6-4. The Bearcats had runners at the corners with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, but Peter Strzelecki(Lake Worth, Fla.) was able to limit the damage to only one run.

Strzelecki escaping the jam allowed the Bulls to add to the lead in the sixth. Chatfield drove in his second run with a double off the center field fence, scoring Stunkel Jr. Then Dutka had a sac fly to score Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.), making it 8-5. 

Cincy threatened putting two men on in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, but Andrew Perez (Orlando) came on for a quick fly out to center. The lefty closer gave up an unearned run in the ninth, but was able to seal the deal and earn his 11^th save of the season.

Key Stats

20 - Villar hit two doubles and now has 20 on the season, becoming just the 15^th player in program history to do so.

13 – The Bulls tallied 13 hits, the 28^th they had double-digit hits in 2018.

8 – USF had a very balanced offense, as eight of the nine starters in the lineup had a hit.

6 – The Bulls had six doubles in the game.

Notables

-   Villar and Stunkel Jr. led USF, each going 3-for-4. Stunkel Jr. had three runs and a RBI.

-   Chatfield went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.

-   Strzelecki went 7.0 innings and picked up his eighth win of the season.

Up Next

The Bulls and Bearcats meet for Game 2 of the doubleheader, another rubber match to decide the series. USF has had a rubber game in every series of conference play and twice during non-conference play. 

If USF wins, it will finish with no worse than the No. 3 seed for next week’s American Athletic Conference Championships in Clearwater. ECU defeated UConn earlier today and is 14-9. A UConn and USF win will give the Bulls the No. 2 seed.

[Brad]

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No. 24 Bulls Sweep Doubleheader, Clinch No. 2 Seed for Clearwater

USF completed Friday’s doubleheader sweep at Cincy, securing the series and the No. 2 seed in next week’s American Championships 
 

CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 18, 2018 – Through 18 innings, a three-hour rain delay and 12 hours at the ballpark, the 24^th—ranked University of South Florida baseball team completed Friday’s doubleheader sweep of Cincinnati with a late 9-8 win in Game 2, clinching the No. 2 seed in next week’s American Athletic Conference Championships. 

Much like the first game of the doubleheader, the Bulls (32-18-1, 14-9-1 The American) jumped ahead in the first on three runs, highlighted by a two-run homer by Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.). 

In the second inning, Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) hit his second home run of the year, making it 4-0. The Bearcats (28-26, 12-12 The American) got on the board in the bottom half and then trimmed the lead for a second time in the fourth, making it 4-2.

Coco Montes (Miami) led off the fifth with a double down the left field line, followed by a Stunkel Jr. walk. Genord and Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) each had RBI singles, then Kyle Phillips (Orlando) drove in Genord with a sac fly, making it 7-2. 

The Bearcats added two in the bottom of the seventh with one out to make it 7-4. But weather took a turn for the worse, and lightning delay of more than two hours ensued. The teams finally retook the field at 9:10 p.m.

After USF made it 8-4 in the top of the eighth, Cincy loaded the bags with no outs in the bottom half. Following a walk, which made it 8-5, a bases-clearing double tied the game. 

Phillips began the ninth with a hard hit double off the left field fence, then two batters later, Montes drove him in with a single up the middle, making it 9-8. Andrew Perez (Orlando) finished the job in the bottom half to give USF its 32^nd win and the No. 2 seed.

Key Stats

2 – USF finished the regular season with the No. 2 seed heading into next week’s conference tournament in Clearwater.

14 – For the second-straight year, the Bulls finish with 14 conference wins.

29 – The Bulls tallied 14 hits, the 29^th they’ve had double-digit hits in 2018.

6 – The Bulls had multi-hit games.

Notables

-   USF improved to 6-1-1 in league series, winning the last four of the last five.

-   The Bulls finished 10-2-1 in weekend series, losing to only UNC and Houston. 

-   Montes went 3-for-5 with a run and the game-winning RBI.

-   Stunkel Jr. went 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

-   Genord went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. He tied David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) for the team lead with his 12^th homer.

-   Villar, Chatfield and Phillips had two hits apiece.

Up Next

The Bulls and will play the No. 7 on Wednesday, May 23, at 11 a.m. to begin the conference tournament. USF will play either Tulane (9-14 The American) or Wichita St. (8-14-1). The Green Wave wraps up their series at UCF Saturday and the Shockers finish their series at Memphis Saturday as well.