TAMPA, MARCH. 5, 2017 – After squandering a 2-0 lead in the third inning, the University of South Florida baseball team regained momentum with three run in the fourth, as the bullpen dominated from there to clinch a series sweep of Toledo with Sunday's 6-3 win.
Opposite of Saturday night, the Bulls (10-1) were the team that took an early lead with two runs in the second. But the Rockets (1-10) answered with three in the top of a wild third frame that saw a wild pitch and a throwing error resulting in two of the scores.
But USF retaliated with three runs of its own in the fourth, all with two outs. Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) led off with a walk, then got to third on a failed pickoff attempt that sailed over the first baseman's head. Sophomore Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) doubled down the left field line to score Stunkel, then junior Kevin Merrell (Odessa, Fla.) singled to right and was aided by a fielding blunder by the right fielder, allowing Zech to come home. Sophomore Coco Montes (Miami) singled up the middle on the next at bat, scoring Merrell and giving the Bulls a 5-3 lead.
USF loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth to potentially add to the lead, but could not drive home a run which kept Toledo within striking distance. The Bulls' bullpen had pitched very well until the top of the eighth, when the visitors loaded the bases on a walk, fielding error and catcher's interference. But Sophomore Andrew Perez (Orlando) struck out Matt Hansen swinging to get out of the jam, and he worked a quick ninth, facing just four batters to give his team a ninth-straight win.
Key Stats
· Merrell led the charge with a 3-for-4 day, two runs scored and a RBI.
· Zech provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup with a 2-for-4 afternoon, two runs scored and a game-high two RBI.
· Stunkel Jr. went 1-for-2 with three walks and two runs.
· The bullpen of freshman Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.), senior Michael Farley (Valrico, Fla.) and Perez logged 5.1 scoreless innings, gave up three hits and struck out nine.
Notables
· The Bulls are now 5-1 against the Rockets all-time.
· The nine-game win streak ties the longest stretch of consecutive wins since the 2015 season.
· The Bulls have yet to allow more than four runs to any team this season.
Up Next
The Bulls will play a pair of mid-week contests in front of the home crowd, as they welcome in Jacksonville on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Villanova on Wednesday at 6:30.
Thoughts from coach Kingston and Kevin Merrell on the win
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. Under the guidance of head coach Mark Kingston, the Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and USF followed that success with a consensus Top 10 recruiting class. Five players from that recruiting class were everyday starters in 2016 including outfielder Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.), who led the team in home runs, and catcher Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.), who was named the 2016 PGCBL Player of the Year. The Bulls won series from two ranked teams in 2016 (No. 21 East Carolina, No. 25 Michigan State, began the 2017 season with a series win over Iowa and earned just it's second win over a top-five team with a 4-2 victory against No. 3 Florida State on Feb. 21.
The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 11 NCAA appearances. Follow the baseball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram), visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information, and purchase tickets for upcoming games at USFBullsTix.com. For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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