Borders brothers back Bulls in sweep

Levi Borders, who hit two home runs in the series against FAMU, leads USF with four home runs. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
 

Brothers Levi and Luke Borders powered the Bulls in their sweep of FAMU this weekend, extending USF’s winning streak to seven.

In the three-game series that began Friday and concluded Sunday, catcher Levi Borders went 5-for-10 with two home runs and seven RBIs, while his younger brother went 6-for-10 with two doubles and six runs.

“Levi and Luke Borders were outstanding all weekend,” coach Mark Kingston said. “They’re two of our better hitters right now. Levi has solidified our pitching staff (behind the plate). He’s throwing better, he’s blocking balls that should be blocked and Luke, now, is probably our hottest hitter. Those two guys are a major impact for us.”

Levi set the tone early Friday for USF (13-6-1). The junior hit two three-run home runs to left-center within the first three innings, which put the Bulls up 9-1. 

Levi, who hit just one home run last year, currently leads the Bulls with four about four weeks into the regular season.

“I made a few adjustments the past couple days,” Levi said after the Bulls’ 10-5 win Friday. “The past couple weeks, my stride has been really big, and I’ve been striding into the plate a lot. I just try to pick my foot up and set it right back down.”

Luke doubled and scored in his first two at-bats of Saturday’s 4-1 victory against the Rattlers (7-11). The sophomore, who had seven extra-base hits last season, currently leads the Bulls with seven doubles. 

“I was seeing the ball pretty well,” the designated hitter said. “Sometimes I get ahead of myself and try to speed up the pitch, so I just slowed down the pitch and let it fly.”

Luke also propelled the Bulls in Sunday’s 5-0 finale, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs. 

He scored on right fielder Luke Maglich’s RBI single in the Bulls’ two-run fourth, and then again in the Bull’s two-run seventh. Maglich went 2-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases.

Joe Cavallaro (3-0) earned the win Sunday after tossing  seven shutout innings, Casey Mulholland (3-2) took the win Saturday after striking out 12 over 6 2/3 innings and Jimmy Herget collected his fourth win Friday after allowing one run through five innings. 

“When you look at a weekend and you go 3-0, I think you have to focus on the positives and say we’re taking good steps,” Kingston said. 

The Bulls will look to keep their winning streak alive Tuesday night when USF hosts Stetson (13-9) at 6:30.