Championship Central
CLEARWATER, Florida – South Florida came from down six runs late in the game and went on to win, 12-11 in 11 innings, in the second game of the 2023 American Baseball Championship presented by Visit St. Pete Clearwater Tuesday, May 23, at BayCare Ballpark.
With the win, South Florida (20-37) advances to the winner’s bracket and will play UCF on Thursday, May 25 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+. East Carolina (41-16) will face Cincinnati on Wednesday, May 24 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in an elimination game.
South Florida recorded 19 hits overall, including 18 singles, while East Carolina had eight extra-base hits to go along with six singles in the 4-hour, 32-minute thriller.
Eric Snow, Marcus Brodil and Ben Rozenblum all notched three hits, while seven of USF’s nine starters had multiple hits.
The Bulls scored two runs in the eighth, including a solo home run by Brodil, to cut the Pirate lead to four at 9-5 before scoring six runs on eight singles in the ninth to take an 11-9 lead.
ECU came back and tied the game at 11 on a 2-run home run by Josh Moylan.
South Florida took the lead in the 11th when Drew Brutcher singled home Travis Sankovich. Ethan Brown (2-5), pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the win.
East Carolina used eight pitchers, including Erik Ritchie, who took the loss and fell to 1-2 on the season.
2023 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship presented by Visit St. Pete Clearwater
BayCare Ballpark | Clearwater, Fla.
All Times Eastern
Tuesday, May 23
Game 1: No. 4 UCF 4, No. 5 Cincinnati 3
Game 2: No. 8 South Florida 12, No. 1 East Carolina 11 (11 innings)
Game 3: No. 7 Tulane vs. No. 2 Houston | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 4: No. 6 Memphis vs. No. 3 Wichita State | 47 minutes after Game 3 | ESPN+
Wednesday, May 24
Game 5: Cincinnati vs. East Carolina | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser | 47 minutes after Game 5 | ESPN+
Thursday, May 25
Game 7: South Florida vs. UCF | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner | 47 minutes after Game 7 | ESPN+
Friday, May 26
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser | 47 minutes after Game 9 | ESPN+
Saturday, May 27
Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner | 9 a.m. | ESPN+
Game 12: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | 47 minutes after Game 11 | ESPN+
Game 13: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner (If Necessary) | TBD | ESPN+
Game 14: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (If Necessary) | TBD | ESPN+
Sunday, May 28
Game 15: Semifinal Winners | Noon | ESPNEWS and ESPN+