Photo Credit: Bradley Walker NGSC Sports
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Under a beautiful blue sky with a slight breeze, BayCare Ballpark hosted the first round of the AAC Baseball Tournament. The games started at 9 AM and ended shortly after 10 PM, a whole day of great baseball. The fans for all the teams were in attendance, and some of them were parents of the players. The four losing teams will play on Wednesday, and the four winners will play again on Thursday. In game 3, it was Wichita State vs Charlotte. Before you blinked, Charlotte was up 6-0 and the Shockers could do not do nothing right. The 49ers won 7-1, and it made it a long day for the Shockers with just one run on four hits. The final game of the day was the East Carolina Pirates vs the USF Bulls.
This game was just like the game with Charlotte vs Wichita State. That happened for the East Carolina Pirates, as everything went well, and for the Bulls, it was the other side of the coin. The Pirates jumped right off the bat with the first hitter getting a hit. That hit would start a three-run first inning for East Carolina. USF had no answer, and the Pirates added four more runs in the top of the third. The Bulls looked shaky with balls bouncing off gloves and finding holes. As the game shifted to the fifth inning, it was 8-3, and the game was basically over.
The USF Bulls scored three runs, but it was a little too late. Fans of both teams were there cheering, and the East Carolina Pirates fans were more excited, and everything went right. Most USF fans were either quiet or were making their way to the exits of BayCare Ballpark. It looked like a Bulls team that had not been there for quite a while, and it showed. They let the Pirates shock them, and they did not know how to react. This was the fourth time these two teams had played in the last six days. This might have helped East Carolina, and they won when it was most important. The Bulls would go on to lose 9-4 and will play Wichita State on Wednesday night.
The USF Bulls had some bright spots in the loss as Carlos Jacome went 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored. Matt Rose also had a good night at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an RBI. Jackson Mayo hit the two-run double that cut into the Pirates’ lead. One of the best USF pitchers, starter Corey Braun, struggled and took the loss. The Bulls’ bullpen did well because after the early seven runs, East Carolina was held to just two runs. Nolan Bernard and Bryce Archie helped keep USF in the game. The Bulls had nine hits but left six runners on base, and the Pirates had 15 hits. USF will have to figure out how to win because if they fall to the Shockers, the season will end.
Do you think that lack of experience of playing playoff baseball hurt the USF Bulls? Leave a comment below.
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Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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