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USF Stuffs Harvard in Locker, 14-2: Sweeps Series, Wins 18th Straight

A six-run third, punctuated with a David Villar grand slam, was the difference for the Bulls Sunday.

By Nathan Bond
Getty Images

The USF baseball team could do no wrong Sunday as they hammered Harvard 14-2 to win their 18th straight game and push their record to an astounding 19-1.

An RBI single by DH Luke Borders in the first inning brought home the first run of the game. The Bulls extended their lead to 2-0 in the second when 2B Coco Montes scored on a wild pitch by Crimson starting pitcher Kevin Stone.

Then USF would make like Lil Kee and “Bust it Wide Open” in the third inning.

Montes singles. Borders walks. 1B Joe Genord singles. RF Duke Stunkel Jr. drives in Montes with a single to right, 3-0 USF.

Then...

To quote the late Dave Niehaus, IT IS GRAND SALAMI TIME.

For those keeping track at home, that was 3B David Villar’s third home run of the series, each with at least one man on base. If he doesn’t win AAC Player of the Week, we riot. He finished the day 2-for-3 with 2 runs, that slam, and a career-high five RBI.

Villar stat line this weekend: 7-for-11, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 4 BB, 2B. He also leads the team with 25 RBI this season. He had 23 all of last year.

Freshman RHP Collin Sullivan got the start for the Bulls, but walked four Crimson players before exiting after two innings. Fellow freshman LHP Noah Yager pitched three solid innings in relief, striking out three, before giving way to the “A” bullpen quartet of Mark Savarese, Michael Farley, Joe Cavallaro and Andrew Perez to finish things for the Bulls.

USF would tack on four runs in the 6th and and two in the 8th after head coach Mark Kingston emptied the bench.

The Bulls will face UNF Tuesday at home before going on the road to face #22 Florida Gulf Coast, who swept UF earlier this season and beat FSU this week. USF will have to beat the Eagles to match the school record for the longest winning streak, 20 in a row.

Notables:

  • SS Kevin Merrell was a rare Fantasy Goat Sunday, going 0-for-5 in a game where the Bulls scored 14 runs. The 0-fer dropped his average to an embarrassing .416.
  • OF Cam Montgomery has been hit by a pitch twice as many times as he’s gotten a hit this year (6-3).
  • USF has scored 148 runs this year. They scored 236 runs in the entire 2016 season.
  • The Bulls didn’t win their 19th game until Game 39 in 2016, a 4-1 victory over Houston on April 23.