CLEARWATER – USF was in command at the halfway point on Thursday.

The Bulls let an early 7-0 lead slip away, and watched the Huskies walk off with an 8-7 win in round two of the Big East Tournament at Bright House Field. USF (36-21) will face elimination on Friday in a rematch with Rutgers, while UConn (32-26) gets a day off before resuming play in the winners’ bracket on Saturday.

USF jumped ahead with a run off Huskies starter Anthony Marzi in the first. Kyle Teaf drew a lead-off walk, and after a single and a groundout he would score on Jimmy Falla’s sacrifice fly.

The Bulls placed men on first and second with two down in the second before pushing across their second run. Teaf hit a hard grounder that was deflected by Marzi, and second baseman LJ Mazzilli played the carom and made an off-balance throw that got past first baseman Bobby Melley, allowing a run to score.

Marzi worked to three batters in the third and left with two on and one out, when Max Slade entered the game in his place. After Teaf grounded into a fielder’s choice, the Bulls unloaded three straight run-scoring doubles. Alex Mendez hit a two-bagger to right that brought home two runs, followed by a James Ramsay RBI double and Falla’s run-scoring shot off the base of the wall in left-center.  USF plated four in the inning to take a 7-0 lead.

Marzi was charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits across 3.1 innings. He issued three walks and struck out two, and would not factor in the decision.

Nick Gonzalez cruised through four innings, having faced just two batters over the minimum. Things quickly came apart in the fifth.

The Bulls junior lefty got the first two outs with a walk sandwiched in between, but issued another free pass to the number-nine hitter Stanley Paul before hitting Tom Verdi to load the bases. UConn followed with three straight singles which, aided by a Ramsay error in center, plated five runs. Another run later crossed on a wild pitch after Janick Serrallonga entered the game in relief.

Gonzalez would last just 4.2 innings, and was charged with six runs (four earned) on six hits while walking two.

UConn nearly tied it in the sixth. With a runner at second, Nik Alfonso made a diving stop of a grounder up the middle and threw late to first, but Falla turned and fired to the plate to nail Max McDowell for the final out of the inning.

USF had several chances to tack on to its one-run lead in the later innings. The Bulls loaded the bases with two down in the sixth, and had the lead-off man on second after a Levi Borders double in the seventh, but could not push across any insurance.

Vinny Siena opened the eighth against Adrian Puig with a bloop to right that kicked off the glove of a diving Anthony Diaz. Lawrence Pardo came on to face one batter, issuing a four-pitch walk. McDowell would later come up with men at the corners facing Jordan Strittmatter (0-1), and his long fly ball to left resulted in a sacrifice fly that tied the game at seven.

Paul opened the bottom of the ninth with a liner toward right-center that squibbed out of the glove of Diaz, who tried to make a diving play. Verdi popped out on a bunt attempt, but after a wild pitch moved Paul to third the Bulls elected to walk Billy Ferriter and Mazzilli intentionally to load the bases.

Strittmatter got ahead of Siena two strikes, but his next offering got by Chris Norton and allowed Paul to scamper home with the winning run.

David Mahoney (2-2) earned the win for the Huskies, after permitting only one walk and no hits through 2.2 scoreless frames.

No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 8 seed UConn are the only teams that remain undefeated in the tournament. Louisville, who came in as the No. 1 seed, has already been eliminated after losing 3-2 to UConn and 9-1 to Rutgers.

The Bulls, who beat the Scarlet Knights 5-2 in the opening round, will need a win to stay alive on Friday. They face off against Rutgers at 6 p.m.

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.