There was just something missing Tuesday night, said USF coach Lelo Prado.
The Bulls’ six-game winning streak was snapped on the road against Stetson, as they fell 6-5 despite taking an early lead.
“We didn’t come ready to play. The intensity wasn’t there. The focus wasn’t there,” said Prado, who saw his team fall to 1-6 on the road this season. “That shouldn’t happen.”
Center fielder Ryan Lockwood started the game with a leadoff home run in the top of the first. After Stetson tied it 1-1 in the second, first baseman Todd Brazeal responded for the Bulls (11-14) with a two-run double in the fourth.
Lockwood brought Brazeal home with a sacrifice fly later in the inning, giving the Bulls a 4-1 lead. But it quickly evaporated the next two innings, with Stetson (13-14) scoring a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one more in the sixth. The Bulls committed a pair of errors in the game.
“We’re not mature enough to handle it yet,” Prado said. “We didn’t bring it. The intensity and focus has to be even higher on the road.”
Brazeal and Lockwood each had two hits, two RBI and one run scored. Senior right-hander Andrew Salgueiro lasted only four innings, giving up three earned runs, one walk and striking out two.
“We thought he would go four or five innings. He gave us four and then got in trouble in the fifth by walking the leadoff guy,” Prado said. “The bullpen didn’t pitch good, either.”
USF travels to Cincinnati this weekend for its second Big East series.
“It’s a huge weekend for us, and we’ll see what shows up,” Prado said. “We’re going to regret losing all of these one-run games later in the year.”
