USF Rallies Past Charlotte 7–5, Advances to AAC Semifinals

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The University of South Florida stayed alive in the American Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament on Friday evening, defeating Charlotte 7–5 to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

The Bulls will now face East Carolina, needing to beat the Pirates twice to earn a spot in Sunday’s championship game.

“Once you know that it really could be your last game, you see a completely different energy shift in the dugout,” junior designated hitter Rafael Betancourt told the Bay Area Examiner, “Everybody is fully bought in because we know this could be our last time playing with some of these guys.”

Betancourt delivered the game’s biggest hit — a two-run single in the top of the eighth inning to give USF its first lead, 7–5. It was his first hit of the season with the bases loaded and only his 16th RBI.

It was a familiar slow start for USF, which trailed 3–0 after the first inning. The Bulls have been outscored 7–0 in the opening frame across their three tournament games.

In the top of the fourth, USF trailed 5–2 before sophomore first baseman Carter Murphy sparked a rally with his first home run of the season. Murphy has stepped into the lineup in place of senior Sebastian Greico, who has been unavailable this week. Greico, a second-team All-AAC selection, leads the Bulls with 14 home runs, 47 RBIs, and a .982 OPS.

Murphy has filled in admirably, batting .300 with three RBIs and a home run during the tournament.

Later in the fourth, junior third baseman Matt Rose and senior right fielder Marcus Brodil delivered RBI hits to tie the game 5–5.

The score remained knotted until Betancourt’s go-ahead single in the eighth.

Much of that stability was thanks to USF’s bullpen, particularly junior Bryce Archie and junior Austin Newton.

Archie, who also plays quarterback for USF’s football team, pitched 2.2 no-hit innings in relief. He entered in the third inning and began a stretch of 6.2 consecutive scoreless innings by the Bulls to close out the game.

Archie, who started at quarterback in USF’s thrilling Hawaii Bowl win on Christmas Eve, once again delivered for his university in a high-stakes moment — this time on the diamond.

Newton took over in the sixth and finished the game, recording his second save of the tournament. The only blemish on his outing was a solo home run by Charlotte’s Connor Maryniak to lead off the ninth. Newton retired the next three batters to seal the win.

“I had a feeling they were going to live with me or die with me, and I wanted that,” Newton said after the game. “The last thing I wanted to see was a coach coming out, because I wanted to finish that.”

Over his last four appearances, Newton has pitched nine innings, allowing just two hits and one run.

“He’s got a fresh arm, which certainly helps this time of year,” USF head coach Mitch Hannahs said. “You’re seeing a lot of pitchers coming out of the pen who aren’t so fresh. I think he and Coach Schlereth really went to work on that slider, and it’s a difference-maker for him.”

Now, the Bulls face their biggest challenge yet. USF must beat East Carolina twice on Saturday to reach the title game. The Bulls fell to the Pirates 9–4 in Tuesday’s opening round.

“We need some guys to step up and give us some innings,” Hannahs told The Bay Area Examiner. “We’ve got to figure out how to get five innings in one of those games, because I like the guys we’ll have behind. We just can’t jump in there so early and get caught like we did tonight.”

Junior Corey Braun, a first-team All-AAC pitcher, is expected to start Game 1. Braun struggled in Tuesday’s matchup with ECU, giving up five earned runs over three innings. However, he has pitched six or more innings in 10 starts this season and will look for redemption.

ECU will likely counter with sophomore ace Ethan Norby, who struck out the first six batters he faced in his last start against USF.

USF will need strong performances in every phase — pitching, hitting and defense — to keep its season alive.

“It’s going to be good basic fundamental baseball that dictates the rest of this tournament,” Hannahs said.

First pitch between USF and ECU is scheduled for 47 minutes after the conclusion of Tulane vs. UTSA, which begins at 9 a.m. The remainder of Saturday’s schedule is to be determined.

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