USF Takes Series Finale in Tampa

Sunday, April 10

Tampa, Fla.

11:00 AM

University of Memphis

12-19, 0

USF

16-16, 0

Memphis

South Florida

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Apr 10, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

Jacob Elliott has three hit day in loss

TAMPA, Fla. – Memphis, who had already won the series over USF, dropped the finale 7-5 in a back-and-forth game Sunday at USF Baseball Stadium. The series win is the first this season for the Tigers in American Athletic Conference play.

Memphis will return to FedExPark to host Austin Peay Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before heading to Mississippi State Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Starkville, Miss.

The game had three lead changes after Memphis opened the scoring, USF grabbed the lead in the third before the Tigers retook it in the fifth and lost it in the seventh.

First baseman Jacob Elliott went 3-for-4 with a run driven in and a run scored. He was the only Tiger with multiple hits in the game.

Matt Ferguson started the game and pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing four runs on five hits. The senior struck out a career high eight batters.

Memphis scored first for the third straight game in the series after Elliott singled and Trent Turner was hit by a pitch to start the second inning. After advancing on a passed ball, Elliott scored on a sacrifice fly by Damo DeMatteo.

Just hours after the Tigers overcame two errors in right field to win the second game of the series, USF got on the board on another piece of shaky outfield defense in the third inning of the finale.

Ferguson quickly retired the first two batters in the third inning before allowing back-to-back singles. The senior coaxed a fly ball to the outfield that would have ended the inning but left fielder Colton Neel immediately lost the ball in the sun and it fell in for an inside the park home run, making the score 3-1.

The Tigers quickly responded, getting a run back in the top of the fourth. Brandon Grudzielanek worked a walk and Elliott singled to put two runners on. A groundout moved the runners over and Neel drove in a run with an RBI groundout.

USF answered back in the bottom half of the fourth after an error put runners on the corners with one out. A squeeze bunt drove in the unearned run. Jake Little made a great play to end the inning, gunning down a runner at the plate to keep the USF lead 4-2.

Memphis had a big answer in the fifth, scoring three runs on one hit to take a 5-4 lead. Zach Schritenthal was hit by a pitch and Darien Tubbs walked to put two runners on. Jake Little put down a sacrifice bunt and the throw got away allowing a run to score. After a walk by Grudzielanek, Elliott singled for the third time in the game to give the Tigers the lead.

Memphis had a chance to add to the lead in the sixth after getting two runners on with one out but a strikeout and fly out ended the inning.

USF tied the game back up, 5-5, in the sixth inning after getting runners on the corners with two outs. Trey McNickle came in from the bullpen to pitch and allowed a single to center field to score the tying run.

The Bulls retook the lead in the seventh after a hit batter and single against Trey McNickle. The Tigers made a pitching change, calling Neel out of left field to the mound. The freshman lefty got a strikeout for the first out, but a single to left gave USF the 6-5 lead.

A solo home run off of Drew Crosby in the bottom of the eighth extended the USF lead to 7-5.

Schritenthal doubled to start the ninth but the Tigers couldn't complete the rally for a second straight day.