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Fueled by a career start from redshirt sophomore ace LHP Shane McClanahan, the USF Bulls outmatched the Army West Point Black Knights from start to finish in a 12-0 rout, and the programs first ever combined no-hitter on a historic Friday night at the USF Baseball Stadium.
“I feel good every game,” McClanahan said. “I go out there and I know my team’s got my back. I compete and I know my team.”
In front of dozens of MLB scouts, the Bulls lefty struck out a career-high 15 (FIFTEEN!) batters in six innings, allowing ZERO hits while walking three on 91 pitches. The final eight outs he recorded in the game were all strikeouts.
McClanahan has not allowed an earned run in his last 30.2 innings of work, the nations longest streak.
Sophomore RHP Carson Ragsdale kept things rolling, entering in the seventh inning and allowing no hits, walking two and striking out seven more Black Knights in finishing off the shutout victory.
“I just did my job...executed my pitches, threw strikes and let my defense work behind me,” Ragsdale said. “My fastball was going pretty well and I felt my slider was working as well.”
The 22-combined strikeouts from McClanahan and Ragsdale is a USF single game record.
The Bulls (13-6) certainly gave their two pitchers plenty of cushion, loading the bases and scoring six runs in the first inning. An Army error, a Garrett Zech two-run triple and a Tyler Dietrich RBI single all with two outs busted the game open early for USF.
Zech finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Dietrich also worked his way on base three times.
Home runs from Zech and first baseman Joe Genord extended the Bulls lead to 8-0 at the end of three innings. The Bulls added four more in the final three innings and finished with 13 total hits.
Winners of six straight, USF will continue the three-game weekend series with Army tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. RHP Peter Strzelecki is the Bulls scheduled starter.