CHAMP CENTRAL
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CLEARWATER, Fla. – Jake Overbey’s two-run single to centerfield in the top of the ninth broke a 4-4 tie and helped Memphis to a 7-5 win against USF Friday in an elimination game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Friday at Bright House Field.
The win advances Memphis (21-38) to the semifinal round of the tournament, where the Tigers will face UConn Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Memphis would need to defeat the Huskies twice to reach Sunday’s winner-take-all championship game. USF (24-33) dropped its second game of the tournament and saw its season come to an end.
The Tigers held leads of 3-2 and 4-3, but saw the Bulls tie the game on two occasions before Overbey gave Memphis the lead for good with one out in the ninth. He laced an 0-2 pitch to center with the bases loaded, allowing Chris Carrier and Brandon Grudzielanek to score. Jason Santana followed with a line drive to left that went as a sacrifice fly as Trent Turner came in from third to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead in a three-run ninth inning.
USF got one back in the bottom of the ninth as Duke Stunkel’s base hit to right scored Luke Borders, who had led off the inning with an infield hit. But Tiger reliever Nolan Blackwood ended it with a 5-4-3 double play to send the Tigers to the semifinals for the second straight year.
After Luke Borders’ two-run single to right put USF on the board in the fifth, Memphis erased the deficit in the top of the sixth. Chris Carrier’s RBI double down the leftfield line scored Brandon Grudzielanek, Overbey laid down a squeeze bunt to bring home Carrier, and Zach Schritenthal’s base hit to left-center scored Turner to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
USF tied it in the bottom of the sixth when the Bulls put two men on for Coco Montes, who hit what looked like a double play ball that would end the inning. But the Tigers couldn’t convert the throw to first, and Garrett Zech scored from second to make it 3-3.
USF threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh on Stunkel’s base hit to right, but Memphis’ Jake Little gunned down Borders at the plate for the second out, and Colton Neel got David Villar looking to retire the side.
The Tigers grabbed the lead in the top of the eighth after Jake Overbey led off with a base hit to left, was sacrificed to second and scored on Schritenthal’s double off the wall in right-center, making it 4-3. But the Bulls answered again when Coco Montes scored on a wild pitch.
Grudzielanek went 4-for-5 with a triple for the Tigers, while Carrier was 3-for-4 and Schritenthal was 3-for-5. Blackwood picked up the win out of the bullpen, improving to 3-4.
Stunkel, Borders and Luke Merrell had three hits each for USF. Michael Clarkson (1-5) took the loss for the Bulls.
The semifinal round of the 2016 American Championship features three semifinalists from last year – UConn, Houston and Memphis. UConn has won three of four meetings against Memphis this season, including a 6-2 decision in the first round of the conference tournament. The other semifinalists - Houston and Tulane – will meet for the seventh time in 2016 when they square off at 10 a.m. ET.
All of Saturday’s semifinal action can be seen live on The American Digital Network.
The latest information on the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship is available on the conference’s Championship Central page at
www.TheAmerican.org/Baseball.
2016 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Bright House Field · Clearwater, Fla.
Tuesday, May 24 (CBS Sports Network)
Game 1 – No. 5 Houston 9, vs. No. 4 Cincinnati 1
Game 2 – No. 1 Tulane 4, No. 8 UCF 3
Wednesday, May 25 (American Digital Network)
Game 3 – No. 7 USF 4, No. 2 East Carolina 2
Game 4 – No. 3 UConn 6, No. 6 Memphis 2
Game 5 – UCF 7, Cincinnati 6 (10 innings) ........................................ (Cincinnati eliminated)
Thursday, May 26 (American Digital Network)
Game 6 – Memphis 5, East Carolina 4......................................... (East Carolina eliminated)
Game 7 – Houston 5, Tulane 3
Game 8 – UConn 9, USF 1
Friday, May 27 (American Digital Network)
Game 9 – Tulane 5, UCF 0............................................................................... (UCF eliminated)
Game 10 – Memphis 7, USF 5........................................................................ (USF eliminated)
Saturday, May 28 (American Digital Network)
Game 11 – Houston (35-22) vs. Tulane (39-18)............................................................ 10 a.m.
Game 12 – UConn (35-22) vs. Memphis (21-38)............................................................ 1 p.m.
Game 13 – Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 (if necessary)................. 4:30 p.m.
Game 14 – Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 (if necessary)................. 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 29 (ESPNews)
Game 15 – Semifinal winners.............................................................................................. Noon
all times Eastern