Feb. 18, 2007
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Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF put together an all-around performance Sunday in a 4-3 win over Maryland in the series finale. Starting pitcher Jaager Good went 5.2 innings to grab the win, the bullpen pitched 3.1 innings of near perfect baseball and the offense produced some timely hits to improve the Golden Knights record to 3-5. Meanwhile it was the Terrapins' (4-2) first loss since their season opener.
"That's a typical baseball game for us," said head coach Jay Bergman. "Our last three guys came in and got six strikeouts out of the bullpen and we got the hits when we needed them. That's what we are going to have to do to win ballgames. And the starting pitcher has to keep it close to give us a chance to win."
Good's (1-0) outing was the longest by a UCF starter this season. Brian Brooks, Austin Hudson and Justin Weiss helped seal the victory as they combined for six strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Weiss nabbed his first save of his career by retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth. Maryland's Kevin Biringer received the loss, tossing 5.0 innings and surrendering four runs on seven hits.
Ryan Richardson and Eric Kallstrom each had two hits on the day for the Knights, while Kiko Vazquez recorded his third homer of the weekend.
UCF let its opponent take the lead for the fifth time this season, as Maryland's AJ Casario recorded an RBI single in the second. Good, though, limited the damage to just the one run, which helped pave the way for Vazquez to tie it in the Knights' half of the inning. On a 1-1 pitch, the first baseman drilled one over the fence in left center for his seventh career home run. It also was Vazquez's second-straight round-tripper in as many at-bats, as he belted a grand slam in the ninth inning Feb. 17.
Gerry Spessard responded in the fourth, leading off the frame with a solo shot to right field. Down 2-1, UCF struck back in the fifth. Richardson got it going with a single into right field, and Kallstrom sacrificed him over to second. On the first pitch he saw, Ryan Williams then connected for an RBI single, and he was brought home on Tyson Auer's second triple of the year. UCF pushed the lead to 4-2 when Biringer threw the ball into left field on an attempted pick off, allowing Auer to touch home.
The UCF advantage was trimmed in the sixth, all with two outs. Spessard picked up a single into left, stole second and was brought in on a double from Chad Durakis. That was when Good retired to the bench in favor of the southpaw Brooks in order to have a lefty-lefty match-up with Will Greenberg. The move worked as Brooks struck him out on a 2-2 curveball.
UCF's bullpen dominated the rest of the way, as it sat down 10 of the 11 Terrapins that strode to the plate. In the ninth, Weiss used 15 pitches to lock up the save.
Before traveling to LSU Feb. 23-25, UCF will host the Korean Baseball Organization's Hyundai Unicorns in an exhibition game Tuesday. First pitch at Jay Bergman Field is set for 2 p.m. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.
Game Notes
WP: Jaager Good (1-0), 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LP: Kevin Biringer (1-1), 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
SV: Justin Weiss (1), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
- Tyson Auer's triple in the fifth was his 10th career three-bagger. One more and he will move into a tie for 10 th on the UCF all-time list.
- Kiko Vazquez's homer in the second stretched his hitting streak to four games.
- The game time of 2:05 was the shortest of the season. UCF had previously played six-straight games over the three-hour mark.
- The last two home series have brought lots of fans to Jay Bergman Field. Against TCU, 2,727 fans came through the gates, marking the fifth-largest series ever at the ballpark. This weekend vs. Maryland, 2,360 watched the Knights battle the Terrapins, which was the eight-largest series ever.