March 31, 2006
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Sophomore center fielder Tyson Auer belted three hits and totaled a career-high six RBI to lead UCF to an 18-1 rout of host Marshall Friday evening at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. UCF right-hander Tim Bascom finished with 12 strikeouts to propel UCF to its first Conference USA victory.
The 17-run victory marked UCF's fourth-largest win differential in a conference game in school history. Three other Golden Knight clubs won by 17 runs in conference play when UCF played in the Atlantic Sun.
Bascom (4-2) posted his seventh career game with 10 or more punch outs. He has four games with 10-plus strikeouts this season and raised his season strikeout total to 65 in 50 innings of work.
Bascom pitched eight innings and yielded one run on four hits.
The Golden Knights moved to 17-12 overall and 1-0 in C-USA while the Thundering Herd dropped to 8-12 and 0-4 in league play. Eight of UCF's nine starters recorded hits as UCF out-hit Marshall 20-5.
Junior third baseman Matt Ray started the night with a leadoff home run to become the first Golden Knight to leadoff a game with a homer since Clay Timpner at Florida Atlantic (April 10, 2004).
UCF added another run in the first and one in the second before a five-run third to take a commanding 8-1 lead after three innings. In the five-run third, Auer doubled in two runs as the Golden Knights finished with four hits in the frame.
Marshall kept UCF off the scoreboard in the fourth before a four-run fifth extended the lead to 12-1. Auer kept his big night going with a bases loaded triple to score three runs for the Golden Knights.
UCF put another three runs on the board in the sixth to pad the lead to 15-1.
Freshman Shane Ynclan recorded UCF's second bases loaded, three-RBI triple of the game in the seventh to pad the lead to 18-1.
Five Golden Knights recorded multi-hit games, including three by freshman designated hitter Steve Stropp (Juno Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens).
The two teams resume their three-game series Saturday at 7 p.m.
Game Notes: The start of the game was delayed 45 minutes due to inclement weather ... UCF played its first game in the state of West Virginia Friday vs. Marshall ... the game was played in the state capital of Charleston, where the Thundering Herd play their conference home games. Marshall University is located in Huntington, W.Va., roughly an hour away from Charleston ... the Golden Knights have won four of their last five games away from home ... UCF is 6-1 all-time vs. opponents from the state of West Virginia ... UCF recorded its second 20-hit game of the season on the road.