April 8, 2005
Orlando - Senior left fielder Dee Brown hit two of UCF's four home runs in a 14-5 victory over visiting Lipscomb Friday evening at Jay Bergman Field. Brown was one of three Golden Knights to go deep as UCF tied a season-high with four home runs on the night. Matt Ray hit his first career grand slam and John-Michael Howell went deep for the 10th time this season in the nine-run win.
Brown was 3-for-4 with four RBI to up his career RBI total to 198, two shy of former UCF standout Dustin Brisson for fourth place in UCF history and seventh place in the A-Sun career annals.
The Golden Knights won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 29-7 overall and 10-3 in the A-Sun. Lipscomb dropped to 15-16 on the season and 3-7 in league play.
The Bison scored two runs in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 lead on four hits in the frame. UCF tied the game at two on one swing in the home half of the first as Dee Brown hit his ninth home run of the season to right field, just off the glove of Lipscomb right fielder Nathan Sensing.
UCF used a five-run second to break the game open. The big hit in the inning came off the bat of Tennessee native Matt Ray, who hit his first career grand slam, to give the Golden Knights a 7-2 advantage.
UCF continued with the long ball in the fourth as Brown crushed a solo home run to center field, off the top speaker on the sound system to the right of the batter's eye in center field. The home run was Brown's 10th of the season.
The Golden Knights added single runs in the fourth and sixth before a two-run seventh and three-run eighth put the game out of reach. Howell hit a two-run home run in the eighth off the light pole in right field.
UCF starter Tim Bascom (7-2) yielded five runs on nine hits, but pitched 7.0 innings for his seventh win of the season. The Dunedin native struck out seven batters on the night. Lipscomb starter Alan Tungate (3-4) lasted just 1.2 innings and surrendered seven runs on five hits in a losing effort.
The Golden Knights continue their three-game series Saturday with a day-night doubleheader. Game one of the doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. tomorrow with the nightcap set for 6 p.m.
Game Notes: Dee Brown and John-Michael Howell became the first players since 2001 to hit 10-plus home runs in a season for UCF * the last time two Golden Knights hit at least 10 homers in a season were Jeremy Frost (13) and Chad Ehrnsberger (16) during the 2001 campaign * UCF recorded 15 hits on the night, including multi-hit games by Matt Ray (2-for-4, 4 RBI), Dee Brown (3-for-4, 4 RBI), John-Michael Howell (2-for-5, 2 RBI), Marshall Bernhard (2-for-5, 2 runs) and Tyson Auer (2-for-5, RBI) * UCF is 18-3 when recording 10-plus hits and 20-2 when it outhits the opposition * UCF is 19-4 when its starting pitcher lasts six-plus innings.