TAMPA, FL ? The Indiana State baseball team dropped their second game of the season Saturday night as the University of South Florida Bulls rallied to defeat the Sycamores 6-5 in 12 innings.
The loss was even more painful for Sycamore head coach Lindsey Meggs when sophomore Ryan Strausborger was taken out in an ambulance after being hit in the left eye while trying to bunt in the fifth inning. Strausborger had squared around to bunt, the ball hitting the bat and then hitting Strausborger in the left eye. No word has been received on his condition at this time.
The Sycamores maintained the lead through the first 8? innings. Indiana State scored twice in the top half of the first. Ryan Strausborger singled to right to lead off the first and went to second on a wild pitch. Nick Ciolli walked with both runners advancing on another wild pitch.
Strausborger scored on Chris Schmidt's sacrifice and Ciolli came around to score on an RBI double by Brady Shoemaker.
The game remained scoreless for the next four innings. The Sycamores pushed across another run on back-to-back two-outs singles by Zane Chavez and Pascual Del Real.
Two more Indiana State runs crossed the plate in the seventh to push ISU's lead to 5-0. Brian Jett led off the inning with a single and advanced after Dave Brumagin reached after being hit by a pitch. Sean Osborne moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Jett scored on a balk. Brumagin scored the final ISU run on a sacrifice fly to center by Andrew Trepel.
South Florida started their come back in the bottom half of the seventh, pushing over a run on three hits and one Sycamore error. The Bulls tied the game in the bottom half of the ninth on a one out grand slam home run by Chris Rey.
The Sycamores threatened in the 12th as Bronco Lafrenz led off with a walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brumagin. However, Indiana State was unable to push across a run as the Bulls were able to get the final two outs.
In the bottom half, Angelberger doubled to right and then scored on a single by Victor Pina.
Nathan Inman, the seventh pitcher of the evening for Indiana State, picked up the loss, going 3.1 innings in allowing a run on two hits while striking out five and walking one. Brian Oliver started for the Sycamores and went six innings, not allowing a run while scattering four hits and striking out one.
Del Real led the Sycamore offense with a pair of singles in three trips to the plate. Shoemaker had a double while Strausborger, Trepel, King, Chavez, Jett and Brumagin had a single each.
