Fifth Inning Home Run Dooms USF Baseball in 7-3 Loss to Samford

USF baseball just couldn’t find their groove at the plate or on the mound in Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Samford at the USF Basbell Complex.

Senior RHP Alec Wisely took to the mound for the first time in the 2019 season and didn’t have his sharpest stuff as he battled through 4.1 innings before giving up a three-run home run to Bulldogs’ 3B Preston Moore in the 5th inning to push Samford’s lead to 5-1.

“Just his command of his fastball. He was really struggling to get the ball away to them, and left too many balls over the heart of the plate,” head coach Billy Mohl said. “He didn’t have his best stuff by any means tonight, but he competed...It just wasn’t his night. He’s been good leading up to this, he’s had some big games for us. He’ll bounce back.

Wisely gave up seven hits, five runs (four ER), walked four, and struck out six in his first start of the year.

Santa Fe/UF transfer Austin Bodrato got the start in right field and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs, and a walk. His HR came in the third inning to get the Bulls within a 2-1 deficit after an error by him in the second led to two runs for the Bulldogs.

The Bulls would cut Samford’s lead to just 5-3 in the bottom half of the fifth inning when CF Kyle Phillips doubled to score Bodrato and 1B Joe Genord hit a sac fly to center to score SS Nick Gonzalez.

Samford tacked on two more runs in the eighth against LHP Kevin King to put the game out of reach.

JUCO transfer LHP Pat Doudican will get the start for USF in the rubber match Sunday at 1 p.m. The lefty from New Jersey had a 3.38 ERA, and struck out 98 batters in 77.1 innings for Polk State College in 2018.