Live blog: Bulls can't clinch tourney tonight

Out here at Red McEwen Field, where USF's baseball team is hoping to lock up one of the final spots in next week's Big East tournament in Clearwater, ending the regular season with a three-game series against second-place Notre Dame.

First, the bad news: The Bulls cannot clinch a spot in the tournament tonight, as the Rutgers-Louisville game scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed due to inclement weather. A USF win, combined with a Rutgers loss, would lock up a tournament berth. But since the Knights and Cardinals play at 2 p.m., the Bulls could clinch before Friday's game, allowing Lelo Prado to rest his arms and key players.

The good news? Villanova, which started the day tied with USF at 11-13 in seventh place, got destroyed by St. John's, 16-2, this afternoon. Villanova would have to win more games this weekend than USF for the Bulls to miss the cut for Clearwater, so think of this as the Bulls breaking serve to open the set. (Does the tennis metaphor make the playoff picture any less murky? Probably not.)

Beyond that, it's a beautiful night at the Red, and we'll be live blogging the next few hours. Bulls starter Daniel Thomas got out of a shaky first inning, stranding runners and second and third with a clutch strikeout. Keep checking back for more ...