The University of South Florida baseball team locked up a season sweep of Stetson on Tuesday night, holding on for a 6-5 road win. After beating the Hatters in Tampa back in March, the Bulls (28-12) used an early offensive surge and a steady bullpen to fend off a late rally at Melching Field.
South Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the second inning, fueled by a Jack Lutz RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Ryan Pruitt. Stetson (15-25) fought back, cutting the lead in half in the third, but the Bulls answered in the fifth when Joey Brenczewski lined a two-run single to right field.
The Hatters pulled within one run by the sixth inning, but the Bulls’ relief corps shut the door.
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Dominic Pontbriant moved to 3-0 on the year with the win, while Ethan Sutton climbed the mound in the late frames to notch his ninth save of the season.
A key bright spot for the Bulls included Lance Trippel, who extended his reached-base streak to 23 games. USF also padded its national lead in sacrifice flies, recording their 33rd of the year.
The Bulls now head north for a weekend conference showdown against East Carolina. Game 1 is set for Friday at 6:00 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.
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