Feb. 27, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Even though Michigan used a lot of luck in the ninth inning Tuesday at Jay Bergman Field, Winter Park native Shane Brown provided UCF with some more heroics in a 7-6, 10-inning victory. For the second-time in three days, Brown connected for the game-winning RBI base hit to help the Knights improve to 5-7 on the season.
After Michigan (3-1) scored two in the ninth off some fortunate bounces to tie it at 6-6, Brown came to the plate in the 10th with the bases loaded and one out.
"It was a 3-1 pitch and I was looking for the fastball," said the freshman, who gave UCF the lead in the eighth inning Sunday as the Black and Gold defeated LSU, 5-4. He jumped on the pitch from Zach Putnam and sent it to left field to seal the extra-inning win. Brown, who came off the bench midway through the game, finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
"I was just looking for a pitch to hit, and I fouled one off earlier," said Brown. "He then got a little wild and it got to 3-1 and I was sitting on the fastball. Running out onto the field and getting jumped on was awesome."
In his first collegiate start, freshman Carmine Giardina went 4.2 innings, striking out four while allowing two earned runs. Kyle Sweat (1-2) got the win, pitching a scoreless 10th inning and striking out two. Adam Abraham (1-1) was credited with the loss for the Wolverines. Offensively, eight different Knights notched hits, including two from Ryan Williams and Chris Duffy.
For the seventh time this season, UCF let its opponent get on the board in the first inning as Michigan picked up RBI singles from Putnam and Doug Pickens to take a 2-0 lead. But after going quietly in the first three frames, the Knights came back with two of their own in the fourth. Dwayne Bailey led it off with a five-pitch walk and promptly stole second. An infield single by Williams put runners at the corners with nobody out, and Chadd Hartman delivered with a single to left center, plating Bailey. Now with Williams at third, Steve Stropp grounded into a double play, but it was enough to tie the game at 2-2.
Michigan attempted to take the lead again when it returned to the plate in the fifth, and managed to place runners at first and third with two down. That was when Derek Abriola appeared out of the bullpen and in four pitches, induced Putnam to fly out to center to end the threat.
The move to the pen paid off with UCF scoring the go-ahead run in its half of the fifth. With two outs and no one on base, Duffy recorded his first collegiate extra-base hit, a double to deep right center. Moments later, Eric Kallstrom came up with the clutch hit, singling to center field to score Duffy.
UCF returned in the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out as Williams singled and Hartman and Stropp were both plunked by a pitch. Striding to the plate was Kiko Vazquez, who already recorded one grand slam on the year. However, he would take the easy RBI, getting hit by a pitch on a full count by reliever Abraham to give the Knights a 4-2 lead. In a pinch-hitting situation, Brown hit into a fielder's choice to third to allow Hartman to score. Following a fly out from Ryan Richardson, Duffy came through again with yet another double, bringing in Vazquez and increasing the advantage to 6-2.
Michigan did not budge, though, coming back with two more in the seventh, both with two outs. It then got a lot of luck in the ninth vs. Justin Weiss, getting two solo homers from Putnam and Pickens. The first came off the glove of a leaping Williams in left and the second with two outs that bounced off the top of the fence in left center to tie it at 6-6. Michigan's momentum almost carried over into the 10th against Sweat, as it earned two base runners with just one out. The sophomore righty buckled down, striking out Roblin and getting Nate Recknagel to fly out on the infield.
Sweat's performance on the mound set up Brown's one-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom half of the 10th to send the crowd of 1,085 into a frenzy.
UCF stays at home to welcome Monmouth for a three-game series this weekend. Game one is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Jay Bergman Field. 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: Kyle Sweat (1-2), 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LP: Adam Abraham (1-1), 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
- Tuesday's crowd of 1,085 was the largest of the season, and marked the 19th-largest attendance in the seven-year history of Jay Bergman Field.
- UCF's center fielder Tyson Auer sat out tonight's game with the flu.
- The Knights did not commit an error for the first time since the season opener against Florida International Feb. 3.
- The game time of 3:34 was UCF's longest of the 2007 campaign.
- Eric Kallstrom extended his hitting streak to five games with a single in the fifth inning.
- In all, UCF batters were hit by a pitch five times, one shy of tying the program's all-time record (six vs. Wagner, March 11, 2006).