Senior Day Heartbreak in Tampa
The University of South Florida baseball squad gathered on its home field for Senior Day, a bittersweet ceremony that honored a group of graduating players while the team’s postseason aspirations hung in the balance.
The contest got off to a lively start when Nathan Earley launched a two‑run homer in the bottom of the first, knotting the score early and giving the Bulls a spark of optimism.
Jacob Green later added a clutch double in the ninth that plated two runs, tying the game at 5‑5 and prompting a brief surge of hope as the crowd roared.
But the Shockers answered in the top of the tenth, rattling off three runs that ultimately secured an 8‑5 victory and locked up the final spot in the conference tournament.
Starter Dominic Pontbriant worked three innings before being pulled for reliever Will Allen, and Edwin Alicea absorbed the loss, slipping to 6‑5 for the season.
The Bulls finished the year at 32‑21 overall and 11‑16 in American Conference play, a record that now stands as the end of their postseason run.