TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida delivered another late-inning sting to the North Carolina A&T baseball team on Saturday at USF Baseball Stadium. A day after winning on a two-run, walk-off homer run in the ninth inning, the Bulls posted six runs in the home eighth to down A&T 12-7.
The Aggies dropped to 10-4 on the season. The Bulls improved to 9-5. Junior shortstop Enrique Wood did increase his hitting streak to eight games, and junior outfielder Shemar Dalton reached base safely for the 10th straight game. A&T will try to avoid the sweep in the series finale on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
Dalton reached base safely early, reaching on an infield single to lead off the game. Junior outfielder senior Michael Logan singled, and Tatsunori Negishi doubled home Dalton to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead off USF right-handed starter Jack Cebert. Junior catcher Canyon Brown kept the rally going with an RBI single to right to score Logan. Senior Camden Jackson then hit into a force play at second that eliminated Brown from the base paths but allowed Negishi to score to complete the three-run first.
Wood continued his hitting streak by homering in the second. A&T added a run in the third to take a 5-0 lead before USF responded with a run in the third off A&T starter and RHP Diego Barrett. The Bulls chased Barrett from the game in the fourth with a four-run inning that included an RBI double from Eric Snow, a two-run double from Ben Rozenblum, and an RBI single from Stewart Puckett.
The first of two big innings from the Bulls on Saturday tied the ballgame at 5-5. A&T regained the lead in the visitor's fifth. With Negishi on first, Brown doubled to put Aggies at second and third with one out. Jackson brought Negishi home with an RBI single to give the Aggies a 6-5 lead. The Aggies increased their lead to two runs in the seventh when USF RHP Chandler Dorsey hit junior AJ Jones with a pitch with the bases loaded.
USF took over the game from there, starting with an RBI double from Rozenblum to bring the Bulls within one in the seventh. A&T tried to start a rally in the eighth off LHP Marcus Brodil. Brodil hit Wood with an 0-1 pitch to open the inning before advancing Wood to second on a wild pitch. Senior second baseman moved Wood to third with a sacrifice bunt.
Bulls RHP Tanner Mink (W, 1-0) entered the game to replace Brodil. He got Dalton to hit into a fielder's choice that led to Dalton getting thrown out trying to go home by shortstop Bobby Boser. Logan kept the rally going, however, with a single before Mink got Negishi to fly out to right to end the threat. The Bulls started their six-run eighth with one out against RHP Jake Delisi (L, 1-1).
Drew Brutcher doubled to left center against Delisi before Jackson Mayo singled to bring him home, tying the game at 7-7. Delisi's night ended when Boser doubled to center field as the Aggies turned to RHP Brock Duff. Duff walked John Montes to load the bases before getting replaced by RHP Angel Ortiz. Ortiz surrendered a two-run single to Snow, putting the Bulls in front, 9-7. After Rozenblum flew out to right, Kohl Robertson delivered the knockout blow, a three-run home run to left field to give the Bulls a five-run lead going into the ninth.
Mink gave up a leadoff single to Brown in the ninth before Jackson hit into a double play to put two outs on the board. Jones kept the game alive with a double, but the game ended when senior outfielder TJ Ash popped out to short. Jones doubled twice during the contest. Logan went 3-for-4 with a run scored for A&T, and Negishi had a 2-for-4 outing with an RBI and three runs scored. Brown had four hits and an RBI as the Aggies recorded matched a season-high with 14 hits.
