THE BASICS:

• Score: South Florida 3, Holy Cross 2
• Records: USF (7-7); HC (3-9)
• Location: Tampa, Fla.
• Date: March 11, 2016
• The Lead: Holy Cross junior starting pitcher Justin Finan (Barrington, R.I.) tossed six innings and allowed one earned run on five hits, while striking out eight, but the Crusaders lost to South Florida in 15 innings, 3-2, in non-conference baseball action on Friday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• South Florida struck for a run in both the first and second innings to gain an early 2-0 lead.
• After a scoreless third and fourth inning by both teams, Holy Cross rallied back in the top of the fifth. Senior Nick Lovullo (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) drove in both sophomore Thomas Russo (Weston, Mass.) and freshman Travis Cloney (Wall, N.J.) on a base knock into left field to tie the game at 2-2.
• The Bulls had a chance to break the tie in the bottom of eighth, as they had a runner on third base with one out. Holy Cross junior reliever Jon Escobar (Inverness, Ill.), however, struck out the next batter and forced a pop out to end the frame and keep the game all square.
• South Florida had another chance in the bottom of the 11th inning. With one out, Luke Maglich walked and stole second and third base. The Crusaders were able to get out of the jam, thanks to senior reliever Sean Gustin (Stoneham, Mass.) who struck out the final two batters of the inning.
• The Bulls were able to end the game in the bottom of the 15th inning. After a one-out triple by Maglich, Duke Stunkul hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the winning run.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Dylan Burns earned the victory on the mound (1-0), as he pitched the top of the 15th inning and allowed only one hit.
• Crusader junior George Capen (Gainesville, Md.) was charged with the loss (0-2), as he allowed one earned run on three hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
• Gustin pitched two no-hit innings with four punchouts, while Escobar and junior Joe Cravero (Hanover, N.H.) had three strikeouts apiece in 1.2 innings and 1.1 innings pitched, respectively.
• South Florida held a 9-8 edge in total hits and a 5-0 advantage in extra-base hits.
• Russo was the only Crusader with multiple hits, as he batted 2-for-6 with a run scored.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross and South Florida return to action on Saturday, March 12, when they play the second game of their three-game series at 6:30 p.m.

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