March 14, 2006
ORLANDO - Florida junior catcher Brian Jeroloman blasted a three-run home run to lead the 13th-ranked Gators to a 10-3 victory over host UCF Tuesday evening at Jay Bergman Field. The fifth-largest crowd in Jay Bergman Field history - 1,729 fans - witnessed the first visit by Florida to UCF since 1994. Jeroloman had a big night at plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
The loss snapped UCF's four-game winning streak and evened the Golden Knights' record at 10-10 on the season while Florida improved to 15-6.
Freshman left fielder Ryan Williams was 3-for-4 to lead UCF offensively. Williams finished with three of UCF's seven hits for the game.
Florida jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second, scoring three unearned runs. Austin Pride reached on a fielding error by junior shortstop Matt Horwath to start the inning and later scored on an infield single by Gavin Dickey. Stephen Barton followed later in the frame with a two-run double with two outs to give UF a 3-0 advantage. Barton finished 3-for-5 with four RBI on the night for Florida.
UCF scored its first run in the bottom of the second as freshman right fielder Dave DiNatale singled home Steve Stropp.
Florida scored another three runs in the fourth, including a two-run single by Barton to pad the lead to 6-1.
Freshman first baseman Kiko Vazquez drilled his team-leading third home run of the season to lead off the UCF fourth to close the gap to 6-2. UCF scored its second run of the frame on a RBI-single by Williams to cut the lead in half, 6-3.
Florida scored one in the sixth before putting the game out of reach in the seventh on a three-run homer by Jeroloman to give Florida a 10-3 lead.
Freshman left-hander Mitch Herold (0-3) was tagged with the loss. The Merritt Island native yielded three unearned runs on three hits as he tied a career-high with six strikeouts.
Florida reliever Darren O'Day (1-0) pitched 3.2 innings of shutout baseball with five strikeouts to earn the win.
UCF returns to the diamond Friday vs. Siena. The three-game series vs. the Saints begins at 6:30 p.m. from Jay Bergman Field. Tickets are available for all three games by calling 407-823-1000.
Game Notes: With 1,729 fans in attendance, it marked the largest crowd to see a mid-week game at Jay Bergman Field since the stadium opened in 2001 ... UCF is 5-3 all-time vs. SEC schools at Jay Bergman Field ... Florida was the fifth ranked opponent to play at Jay Bergman Field ... UCF is 6-6 all-time vs. ranked foes at Jay Bergman Field ... Four UCF pitchers combined to strikeout 14 Florida batters, including six by Herold.