The Bulls took a rough series loss to UCF after poor pitching and unproductive bats buried the Bulls early in Saturday and Sunday’s matches. 

After mercy-ruling the Knights (8-3) to open the series, the Bulls (6-5) suffered two of their own mercy-rule losses in weekend matinee games.

Related: PHOTOS: USF baseball falls to UCF in rivalry series 

By Sunday, USF’s dugout seemed quieter and disengaged. Coach Mitch Hannahs said Saturday’s 12-1 loss took “the wind out of” the team, but wasn’t a sign of lack of motivation. 

“Sometimes you go along and win a few games and think everything is okay until you’re exposed,” Hannahs said. 

He said Friday’s win could be credited to southpaw hurler Corey Braun. 

To open the series, Braun dealt a solid 6.1 innings and earned two career highs, including fanning nine and retiring the first 10 Knights.

Friday’s performance, which ended with a 13-3 mercy-rule victory over the Knights, showcased South Florida’s successful pattern of pairing a strong starter with small-ball offense.

The Bulls scored first, putting up a pair of runs with two outs in the first. They tacked on five more in the third, capitalizing on some mistakes by UCF’s starter Dom Stagliano, who put two on before turning the ball over to Spencer Bauer. 

Bauer didn’t stop the Bulls’ bats either, giving up three runs before tallying his first out.

The Knights finally added a pair to the scoreboard in the fifth and a solo run in the seventh. While it wasn’t going to be enough, South Florida added salt to the wound with five more runs in the bottom of the inning, mercy-ruling their cross-state rivals.

Related: USF baseball fails early test against Florida State

But Saturday’s performance paled in comparison, dropping the middle game and getting mercy-ruled by the Knights. 

Hannahs said the lack of left-handed pitchers in the rotation and bullpen put them in trouble against the Knights, who do well against righties. 

“We just didn’t do a good job getting them out,” he said. “We got to do a better job from the pen at executing pitches.”

Bulls starter James Hill gave up half a dozen runs in the top of the first inning, including a two-run dinger and grand slam to put South Florida in an early hole. 

The Bulls couldn’t dig themselves out of the largest deficit they’ve faced this season. It was also the first time USF has fallen behind in the first inning. 

Sebastian Greico scored the Bulls’ only run with a solo shot to right with two outs in the fourth. But it was far from enough to give South Florida a fighting chance.

Sunday’s rubber match wasn’t much better for the Bulls, who were mercy-ruled 12-2. 

The Bulls fell behind early again, trailing by four before Ryan Pruitt hit a two-RBI double in the fourth.  

Hannahs said he can’t rely on homers from his team, so they need to keep games close so base hits and stolen bases can drive a win — something they failed to do both Saturday and Sunday.

Related: USF brings on Indiana State’s Mitch Hannahs as head baseball coach

Starter Jack Nedrow couldn’t stop the Knights’ bats, giving up four runs in the first two frames before getting it together for the third and fourth innings. 

But USF’s bullpen struggled as much as their starters, giving up eight more runs to the Knights. 

Hannahs said his team needs to improve “in every phase.”

“The reality is they’re better than us right now,” he said. 

The Bulls will travel to FGCU Wednesday, where they will face the Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.