CLEARWATER –Jimmy Herget battled his way through 7.2 innings on Wednesday night to pace the USF Bulls to a 5-2 win over Rutgers in round one of the Big East Tournament. The Big East Freshman of the Year held the Scarlet Knights (26-29) to just one run, sending the Bulls (36-20) to the winners' bracket where they will meet Connecticut on Thursday at Bright House Field.

Herget (6-2) found himself down early after allowing a run in the second inning. With runners at the corners and one out, Brian O’Grady lifted a sacrifice fly to left to put Rutgers ahead 1-0.

The Bulls went down in order in each of the first two innings against Rob Smorol (5-7). The Scarlet Knights starter struck out three of the first four batters he faced.

Jimmy Falla got things going in the fourth. Down two strikes, the Bulls senior fouled off six pitches en route to a 12-pitch walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch, and Chris Norton delivered a double to right-center to plate Falla and draw the teams even at 1-1.

USF would go ahead for good by scoring three times with two outs in the fifth. Levi Borders doubled and Nik Alfonso singled to place men at the corners with one down. Smorol got Kyle Teaf to pop out to short, but Alex Mendez came through with a single to right, scoring Borders to give USF the 2-1 lead.

That signaled the end of the day for Smorol, who would be charged with four runs on five hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and picked up six strikeouts.

James Ramsay greeted reliever Rob Corsi with an RBI single, and on the next pitch Falla singled through the left side to bring home another and make it 4-1 USF.

Herget settled in to work 7.2 innings, surrendering the lone run on five hits. The freshman righty walked four and recorded four strikeouts.

Rutgers threatened in each of the last two innings. After Herget walked the last batter he faced in the eighth, Lawrence Pardo issued back-to-back walks to bring the tying run to the plate before O’Grady popped out to end the inning.

Chad Taylor issued two free passes to open the ninth, and a Matt Tietz single loaded the bases with nobody out. Nick Favatella hit a grounder that had Teaf sliding to his right to glove at short before getting the lead runner out at second, but a run scored on the play to cut the Bulls lead to 5-2.

Taylor then set down the final two batters on pop outs to finish off a Bulls victory. Rutgers will now play Louisville in an elimination game at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Alfonso turned in a perfect 3-for-3 night for USF, scoring twice. Ramsay went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and has reached base in 35 straight games.

USF will meet UConn in round two, after the No. 8 seed Huskies upset No. 1 seed Louisville with a 3-2, 12 inning victory on Wednesday. The Bulls swept Connecticut on the road during the regular season. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Jimmy Herget held Rutgers to a run in 7.2 innings as USF grabbed a 5-2 win in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. The Bulls move on to play UConn on Thursday.

TAMPA – Numerous comeback attempts fell short on Saturday, as USF dropped a 10-6 final to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Senior Day at the USF Baseball Stadium. The Bulls took two of three in the series, and will be the No. 4 seed in the Big East Conference Tournament.

USF (35-20, 17-7) fell behind early in the regular-season finale, and could not thwart off the Rutgers offense as the Scarlet Knights (26-28, 14-10) continued to tack on throughout the game. Rutgers got to Bulls senior starter Joey Lovecchio (5-5) for three runs on five hits in just two innings.

The Bulls got one back in the second. After back-to-back strikeouts opened the inning, Anthony Diaz battled his way to a nine-pitch walk off Rutgers starter Rob Corsi. That kept the inning alive for Levi Borders, who dropped a single into right-center, and Nik Alfonso followed with a base hit through the left side to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Rutgers lead shrank again in the third, when Jimmy Falla singled with one out and later scored on Blake Sydeski’s RBI single to right.

Corsi lasted four innings for the Scarlet Knights, permitting two runs on six hits. The senior lefty did not factor in the decision.

With Lovecchio done after two, the Bulls called upon midweek starter Mike Clarkson. The right-hander worked around some trouble to throw two scoreless frames before Jeff Melillo opened the fifth with a blast over the wall in left-center, his second homer in as many days. That extended the Rutgers lead to 4-2.

The Scarlet Knights added another with a run off Adrian Puig, but the Bulls kept it close with a run of their own off Jon Young (3-1) in the home half. Falla and Sydeski singles placed men at the corners with one out, and a wild pitch allowed Falla to come in and score the third USF run of the day.

An error opened the door for Rutgers to break it open in the seventh. With two down and a runner at first, a ground ball to Kyle Teaf resulted in the sophomore shortstop firing high over the head of Falla at first, and the ball bounced out of play to allow the runners to take second and third. After a walk loaded the bases, Vinny Zarillo brought them all around with a double to give Rutgers the 8-3 lead.

Down 9-3 after the Scarlet Knights added another in the eighth, the Bulls mounted a final rally. Two singles, a hit batsman, and a Teaf RBI single started the frame. Alex Mendez came up with the bases loaded and delivered a sacrifice fly to right, and after James Ramsay reached on an infield hit, Falla greeted closer Tyler Gebbler with a single to make it 9-6.

USF had the bases loaded - with the tying run at first – for Chris Norton, but the senior hit a grounder back to the hill that resulted in a 1-2-3 double play to end the rally.

Mendez took over on the hill in the ninth, and would allow his first earned run of the year. Gebbler then set the Bulls down in order in the last of the ninth, notching his third save.

The loss for USF was just its first at home in Big East conference play. Overall, the Bulls wrapped up the year with a 25-5 record at the USF Baseball Stadium.

Nine senior were honored in an on-field ceremony before the game - Lovecchio, Mendez, Falla, Norton, Diaz, and Puig, along with Kyle Copack, Chad Taylor, and Steven Leasure.

USF earned the No. 4 seed heading into the Big East Conference tournament, and will be facing a familiar foe in the opening round. Rutgers will be the No. 5 seed, and the two teams will square off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.

The Bulls suffered a 10-6 loss on Senior Day, and will square off with Rutgers again in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.

The Bulls suffered a 10-6 loss on Senior Day, and will square off with Rutgers again in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.

TAMPA – Numerous comeback attempts fell short on Saturday, as USF dropped a 10-6 final to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Senior Day at the USF Baseball Stadium. The Bulls took two of three in the series, and will be the No. 4 seed in the Big East Conference Tournament.

USF (35-20, 17-7) fell behind early in the regular-season finale, and could not thwart off the Rutgers offense as the Scarlet Knights (26-28, 14-10) continued to tack on throughout the game. Rutgers got to Bulls senior starter Joey Lovecchio (5-5) for three runs on five hits in just two innings.

The Bulls got one back in the second. After back-to-back strikeouts opened the inning, Anthony Diaz battled his way to a nine-pitch walk off Rutgers starter Rob Corsi. That kept the inning alive for Levi Borders, who dropped a single into right-center, and Nik Alfonso followed with a base hit through the left side to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Rutgers lead shrank again in the third, when Jimmy Falla singled with one out and later scored on Blake Sydeski’s RBI single to right.

Corsi lasted four innings for the Scarlet Knights, permitting two runs on six hits. The senior lefty did not factor in the decision.

With Lovecchio done after two, the Bulls called upon midweek starter Mike Clarkson. The right-hander worked around some trouble to throw two scoreless frames before Jeff Melillo opened the fifth with a blast over the wall in left-center, his second homer in as many days. That extended the Rutgers lead to 4-2.

The Scarlet Knights added another with a run off Adrian Puig, but the Bulls kept it close with a run of their own off Jon Young (3-1) in the home half. Falla and Sydeski singles placed men at the corners with one out, and a wild pitch allowed Falla to come in and score the third USF run of the day.

An error opened the door for Rutgers to break it open in the seventh. With two down and a runner at first, a ground ball to Kyle Teaf resulted in the sophomore shortstop firing high over the head of Falla at first, and the ball bounced out of play to allow the runners to take second and third. After a walk loaded the bases, Vinny Zarillo brought them all around with a double to give Rutgers the 8-3 lead.

Down 9-3 after the Scarlet Knights added another in the eighth, the Bulls mounted a final rally. Two singles, a hit batsman, and a Teaf RBI single started the frame. Alex Mendez came up with the bases loaded and delivered a sacrifice fly to right, and after James Ramsay reached on an infield hit, Falla greeted closer Tyler Gebbler with a single to make it 9-6.

USF had the bases loaded - with the tying run at first – for Chris Norton, but the senior hit a grounder back to the hill that resulted in a 1-2-3 double play to end the rally.

Mendez took over on the hill in the ninth, and would allow his first earned run of the year. Gebbler then set the Bulls down in order in the last of the ninth, notching his third save.

The loss for USF was just its first at home in Big East conference play. Overall, the Bulls wrapped up the year with a 25-5 record at the USF Baseball Stadium.

Nine senior were honored in an on-field ceremony before the game - Lovecchio, Mendez, Falla, Norton, Diaz, and Puig, along with Kyle Copack, Chad Taylor, and Steven Leasure.

USF earned the No. 4 seed heading into the Big East Conference tournament, and will be facing a familiar foe in the opening round. Rutgers will be the No. 5 seed, and the two teams will square off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.

USF was swept for the first time since February 24, suffering a 4-2 loss to Seton Hall in the series finale on Saturday.

USF struggled to get the bats going against Seton Hall, putting up just eight runs total across the three-game set after falling 3-2 on Saturday. The Bulls (32-19, 15-6) were swept for the first time in Big East play this season, while the Pirates have now won 12 straight.

The Bulls now occupy fourth place in the Big East, two and a half games back of Pittsburgh for the conference lead.

Seton Hall struck first against USF starter Joey Lovecchio (5-4). After the Bulls senior issued a two-out walk in the third, Scott Kalamar doubled to give the Pirates the 1-0 lead.

USF kept pace with a run off Josh Prevost (5-2) in the fourth. James Ramsay was hit by a pitch to start the frame, and Jimmy Falla followed with a single. Both would advance on a double steal, and with one down Chris Norton tied the game with a single that scored Ramsay.

Kyle Teaf helped the Bulls grab the lead in the fifth, drawing a one-out walk before swiping second. With two down, Ramsay put his team up by one with an RBI single.

The lead was short lived, as Seton Hall (33-16, 16-5) put up a three spot in the home half. After the Pirates placed runners at second and third, a pair of wild pitches allowed Seton Hall to regain the lead, and Giuseppe Papaccio capped the scoring with an RBI single that made it 4-2 Pirates.

Lovecchio was charged with all four runs on seven hits and two walks in his five innings of work. Lawrence Pardo and Jordan Strittmatter kept Seton Hall off the board and limited the Pirates to only one hit and a walk through the final three innings.

Prevost meanwhile turned in a quality outing, holding USF to two runs on six hits in 6.2 innings. Brian Gilbert worked a perfect ninth inning to notch his fourth save.

The Bulls will look to regroup as they head to Fort Myers for a non-conference match-up on Tuesday. USF will have a chance to salvage a split in the season series, after losing 13-5 at home to FGCU on March 26. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

Despite strong outings from starters Jimmy Herget and Nick Gonzalez, USF dropped a pair of one-run games, 3-2 and 5-4 at Seton Hall on Friday. The Bulls are now tied with the Pirates for third place in the Big East standings.

USF suffered a pair of losses at the hands of a red-hot Seton Hall squad on Friday, falling 3-2 and 5-4 in a doubleheader. The Bulls (32-18, 15-5) dropped into a tie with Seton Hall for third place in the Big East Standings. The Pirates meanwhile have won 11 straight, including their past eight Big East contests.

Game one featured a match-up of two of the top hurlers in the Big East, with USF ace Jimmy Herget facing off against Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year Jon Prosinski.

The game held scoreless until the top of the sixth. Kyle Teaf got things going with a lead-off triple, and one out later James Ramsay delivered an RBI single to push USF in front, 1-0.

Seton Hall (32-16, 15-5) threatened with runners on the corners and one out in the bottom half, but Herget (5-2) worked his way out of the jam with a pop out and a fly out.

After the Bulls went down in order in the seventh, Seton Hall opened the home half with back-to-back doubles to knot things up at one. A bunt moved the go-ahead run down to third, and Chris Selden lifted a sacrifice fly to give the Pirates the 2-1 advantage.

Ramsay came through again for USF in the eighth. With a runner at second and two down, the Bulls’ junior singled to score the tying run.

The Pirates would mount a rally in the bottom of the eighth. Levi Borders, who had just taken over at third to start the inning, committed an error allowing the lead-off man to reach, and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position. Giuseppe Papaccio followed with a single, ending Herget’s day with the Pirates ahead 3-2.

Herget was charged with the loss after allowing three runs – two earned – in 7.1 innings. Brian Gilbert (4-3) earned the win for Seton Hall after taking over for Prosinski in the eighth.

Defensive miscues by the Bulls helped Seton Hall grab the lead in game two. After Nick Gonzalez issued a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first, Selden struck out but reached on a wild pitch. An error on first baseman Jimmy Falla allowed the Pirates to load the bases with no outs. That set the stage for a four-run inning, highlighted by a Sal Annunziata two-RBI double.

Down 4-0 in the sixth, the Bulls put men on second and third with one out and picked up their first run when Falla reached on an error by Selden at third. Chris Norton’s RBI double brought the Bulls to within two.

After the Pirates tacked on a run in the seventh, Falla drove in a run with a double in the eighth to make it 5-3. USF threatened in the ninth by putting two in scoring position with one out, but the Bulls would come away with just a run on a Nik Alfonso RBI groundout and drop their second one-run loss of the day.

Gonzalez (3-4) lasted 6.1 innings and permitted five runs, just one earned, on three hits. Greg Terhune (5-3) earned the win for the Pirates, allowing three runs, one earned, in 7.2 innings.

The Bulls and Pirates are scheduled to wrap up the series on Saturday at 1 p.m., though rain is in the forecasted throughout the day. Joey Lovecchio (5-3) will take the hill looking to salvage the finale for USF.