The University of South Florida baseball team turned a rocky start into a dominant offensive clinic on Friday night, racking up 18 hits to overwhelm Tulane 16-6 in New Orleans. The victory in the series opener pushes the Bulls to 30-18 overall and moves them a full game ahead of the Green Wave in the American Conference standings.
Things started slow for South Florida, as they found themselves trailing 3-0 after the first inning. However, the momentum shifted entirely in the fourth when Nathan Earley blasted a game-tying three-run home run.
Earley finished the night nearly hitting for the cycle, going 5-for-6 with five RBIs, falling just a triple short of the milestone. He is now tied for the team lead with four home runs on the season.
The offensive barrage didn’t stop there. Ryan Pruitt turned in a 4-for-5 performance with an RBI, while the team showcased their speed on the basepaths with five stolen bases. Among those was Jevin Relaford, who swiped his 30th bag of the year. That mark ties him for seventh in the program’s single-season history, a feat not seen by a Bulls player since the mid-90s.
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The 16-run total represents the second-highest scoring output for South Florida this season, trailing only their record-setting 29-run performance against Georgia Southern.
On the mound, Kaden Smith got the start and fanned six batters over four innings. Edwin Alicea took over in the fifth, earning the win to move his record to 6-4. Alicea was efficient over his four innings of relief, allowing only three hits and striking out five. Will Allen entered in the ninth to close out the lopsided victory.
With this win, the Bulls are now just one victory away from clinching their first series win at Tulane since 2001. They will look to wrap it up tonight, May 9, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
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