University of South Florida baseball (2-1; 0-0 AAC) claimed its first series win under first-year head coach Mitch Hannahs as the Bulls downed Iowa (1-2; 0-0 Big Ten), 9-5, Sunday at the USF Baseball Stadium. Opening weekend attendance was 4,192.
For the third straight game, the Bulls jumped on top in the first inning. This time senior first baseman Sebastian Greico, a Florida A&M transfer making his first start on the weekend, launched a solo home run deep over the 400-foot wall in right center.
Iowa loaded the bases with two out in the third inning, and took a 2-1 lead when Gable Mitchell lined to right field driving in a pair of runs. Bulls starter Jorge DeCardenas got out of the inning by striking out Andy Nelson and stranded runners on second and third, part of 10 Iowa runners stranded on the day.
Centerfielder Ryan Pruitt tied it up in the bottom half of the third, lofting a home run over the right field fence for his second long ball of the series.
Iowa loaded up the bases again in the fourth. The Bulls went to the bullpen with freshman right-hander Nolan Bernard. He got a strike out and a fly out to get out of the inning without damage.
The Hawkeyes capitalized in the fifth. With two on and one out, Jackson Beaman put a check-swing bouncer through a gap between shortstop and second base that scored runners from second and third and gave Iowa a 4-2 lead.
Marcus Brodil closed the gap as he jumped on a first-pitch fastball to start the Bulls half of the sixth inning and drove it to dead center for his first home run of the season. The Bulls loaded the bases when Pruitt laid down a bunt and beat it out to advance Matt Rose and Carlos Jacome, who had reached on a single and a walk, respectively. Leadoff hitter Bradke Lohry drew a walk that brought Rose home and tied the game at 4-4. After an Iowa pitching change, Greico hit a hard bouncer to the right side that ate up the second basemen and gave the right fielder problems as USF scored three to take a 7-4 lead on a pair of Iowa errors.
Iowa cut the lead to 7-5 when Daniel Rogers hit a solo home run over the centerfield wall to lead off the seventh.
Brodil and Rose led off the Bulls’ seventh with back-to-back singles. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Jacome brought Brodil home when he drove a 1-2 pitch through the right side. Lohry picked up another RBI when his well-placed bunt hung on the first baseline for a base hit that scored Rose. USF, however, left the bases loaded and went to the eighth leading 9-5.
Iowa went down in the eighth and ninth without threat as USF’s Adan Longoria closed the door pitching two hitless innings and logging a strikeout for the final out.
Key Stats:
- Right-hander Adan Longoria closed out the win with two shoutout innings without allowing a hit in the eighth and ninth innings as he faced seven batters, recording four strikeouts and giving up one on a base on balls.
- Bradke Lohry (2-4, 2 RBI, 1BB, 1R) and Sebastian Greico (1-4, 2 RBI, 1BB, 1R, 1HR) at the top of the Bulls order combined to reach base five times, record four RBI and score two runs.
- The teams combined for 24 hits, four home runs (USF with three) and six errors (Iowa with four) in the series finale.
- The Bulls 13 hits on Sunday were by far their most in the series, as were their three home runs, all of which were solo shots. Eight Bulls recorded a hit, five logging two.
- USF pitchers stranded 10 Iowa base runners while the Bulls left 12 runners on.
Notables:
- Junior Ryan Pruitt went 5-for-9 (.556) with two home runs and five RBI in the series. He was 2-for-3 on Sunday with a home run and two bases on balls.
- USF starter Jorge DeCardenas went 3.1 innings giving up seven hits and two runs while recording six strike outs and facing 19 batters.
- USF sent 12 different pitchers to the mound in the three-game series. Landen Yorek (Friday)and Jack Nedrow (Sunday) got wins on the weekend.
Up Next:
The Bulls return to the USF Baseball Stadium Tuesday for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch vs. No. 9 Florida State. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on Bulls Unlimited radio.
