Bottom of the fourth...

CLEARWATER — About a half an hour after its scheduled start, sophomore Jim Cassidy is stepping up to the plate to begin USF’s first-ever Big East Tournament game. For Cassidy, it’s just his 10th start of the season.

The top of the first inning didn’t go so well for the Bulls, as Notre Dame Pitcher Wade Korpi, who has a 2.20 ERA, quickly struck out the first two USF batters and the Bulls’ third-spot hitter grounded out.

Fighting Irish first baseman Craig Cooper is leading off the bottom of the first against USF’s Casey Huspeth. Cooper, who is batting a team-high .432, was recently named the Big East Player of the Year.

So far there’s more activity going on behind the centerfield wall, where a group of kids are throwing a ball around. The game was just delayed for a moment after the kids’ ball ended up on the field. There’s something you don’t usually see at a USF game.

With Notre Dame being so deep on the mound, it doesn’t even have one its top three starting pitchers in the game. In fact, this is just the second time in the Fighting Irish’s 11 years in the Big East Tournament they haven’t started one of their top three pitchers. But you wouldn’t know Korpi isn’t one of Notre Dame’s top starters — he struck out four of his first five opponents tonight. And after sophomore Dexter Butler got the first hit of the game, Korpi answered by striking out sophomore Brandin Daniel to earn his third strikeout of the inning.

After two innings it’s a scoreless game, and each team has a hit. Notre Dame catcher Sean Gaston just hit a line drive over the glove of shortstop Addison Maruszak, but Hudspeth earned his first strikeout one batter later to end the inning.

Korpi is starting to look like Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir and his 11-strikeout performance in Sunday's Rays victory over the Florida Marlins. After five innings pitched, the left-hander already has 10 strikeouts.

Notre Dame is on the scoreboard first, after a successful hit-and-run. Cooper scored from first with the help of a single by second baseman Jeremy Barnes. But after Cooper crossed the plate, Barnes was thrown out trying to make it to second base. Irish 1-0.

The Bulls tied it up though on an RBI double to centerfield by Josh LeRoy, scoring Kris Howell from first.

Just a side note for now: One of USF President Judy Genshaft’s sons caught a foul ball, but not directly. It bounced into the “upper deck” here at BHNF, landed in another fan’s hands who dropped it, only to be picked up by her oldest son and her husband. He’s a little small for his size, but Genshaft Jr. may have a future in a Bulls uniform.

Just kidding.

Kevin Smetana and Mike Camunas