TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida baseball team improved to 3-1 on the season Tuesday, securing a 9-5 victory over North Dakota State in a contest that stretched nearly three and a half hours. The Bulls relied on a high-scoring third inning and timely situational hitting to hand the Bison (0-4) their fourth straight loss in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second, USF surged ahead in the third behind a two-RBI double from Nathan Earley and another two-run double from Santiago Carriles, making his first start at catcher. The Bulls extended their lead to 7-2 in the fifth, aided by a Bradke Lohry RBI single and a Jake Kulikowski sacrifice fly.
READ: Self-Inflicted Errors Hurt USF Against Michigan, But Mindy McCord “Feeling Good” About Her Team
North Dakota State refused to go away, narrowing the gap to 7-5 in the sixth after a bases-loaded walk and a Caleb Corbin RBI single.
However, USF responded immediately in the bottom half of the frame. Jevin Relaford executed his second sacrifice bunt in as many innings to set up a Ryan Pruitt sacrifice fly, and an NDSU error allowed another run to cross, capping the scoring at 9-5.
Reliever Jorge DeCardenas earned the win, striking out four over 3.2 innings of work. Nakni Anna made his first collegiate start for the Bulls, while Brisen Tweedy made his debut out of the bullpen.
Notable performances included Carriles, who finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Pruitt, who extended his hitting streak to four games.
The two teams conclude their midweek series today, Wednesday, February 18, at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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