University of Houston Athletics
Houston Baseball Falls To South Florida, 8-3
5/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2001
Tampa, FL - With two outs already recorded in the fifth inning, the University of South Florida baseball team took advantage of three hits, two walks and two Cougar fielding errors for five big runs that keyed an 8-3 Conference USA win over the University of Houston Friday night in Tampa, Fla.
With its second loss in a row Houston fell to 28-25 overall and 19-6 in C-USA action. The Cougars also fell a half-game behind No. 5 ranked Tulane for first place in the league standings after the Green Wave's Fridat night game at Louisville was suspended in the seventh inning due to lightning. It will be continued on Saturday and followed by the second game of that series.
Lightning also seemed to strike for South Florida in one inning. In the fifth the Bulls' Mike Macaluso reached base on a two-out fielding error by third baseman Hyung Cho. Instead of UH starting pitcher Brad Sullivan being out of the inning with a lead and three-hit shutout intact, the next four USF batters reached base with a walk-single- walk-single pattern that scored three unearned runs. Yet another fielding error in the inning and a subsequent double to centerfield by designated hitter Kris Courier scored two more and the Cougars were suddenly down 5-1.
South Florida starting pitcher John Gorham meanwhile continued to hold the Houston hitters in check on the way to posting a complete game win. Gorham (7-6) scattered eight hits, walked one and struck out six in allowing just one earned run on the night. The lone earned run was a solo homer by UH sophomore catcher Chris Snyder to lead off the second. Snyder's 12 home run of the season and two unearned runs in the ninth, on a hit and two USF errors, capped the UH scoring.
The teams will play game two of the three-game weekend series on Saturday, at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern time). The contest will be televised live by Fox Sports Net.
Conference USA Baseball LinescoreHouston 010 000 002 -- 3 8 3South Florida 000 050 03x -- 8 8 2
Brad Sullivan, Nick Torina (7), Matt Hooper (8) and Chris Snyder. JohnGorham and Allen Shirley. WP- Gorham (7-6). LP - Sullivan (6-6). Save- none.2B- UH: none, USF: Courier, Shirley. 3B- none. HR- UH: Snyder (12). Time-2:19. Att- 405. Team Records- Houston 28-25, 19-6.
