March 31, 2007
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Birmingham, Ala. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UAB's six-run fourth inning allowed the Blazers enough room to defeat the UCF baseball team Saturday, 9-7, in game two of a doubleheader in Birmingham, Ala. The victory also secured their three-game sweep over the Knights (16-16, 0-6 Conference USA) as the Blazers were able to hold off a late rally by the Black and Gold.
Senior Derek Abriola (0-1), who had made 53 career relief appearances in a UCF uniform before Saturday, earned his first start in game two vs. UAB (15-15, 3-0). He completed his outing with 62 pitches, lasting 3.0 innings with two strikeouts, six earned runs and eight hits against.
UAB had troubles containing Ryan Richardson, as the right fielder set a season-high with four hits, including two doubles, and recorded three runs scored and a stolen base. His outburst marked the third time this year that a Golden Knight collected four base hits in a game (Chris Duffy, Kiko Vazquez).
The Blazers did not greet Abriola in a very friendly way, scoring twice in the first inning. The two runs solidified the seventh time in UCF's last eight games that it let its opponent take the first lead (the Knights lost six of those outings). UAB, though, almost gave it away in the second. With two down, Richardson and Eric Kallstrom both singled and Steve Stropp was drilled with a pitch to load the bases. Kyle Mills stepped into the box and earned a five-pitch walk to cut the lead in half. However, starting pitcher Ben Styes (2-3) limited UCF to just the one run.
UAB got that run right back in the bottom half, adding a RBI double by Levi Patmon. Following a scoreless inning by both teams in the third, Richardson and Stropp reached on a couple of singles and a ground out pushed them up a base with two away. Matt Horwath came through by lacing a single into right field, cutting the lead to 3-2, but the tying run was left stranded at third.
The doors opened for the Blazers when they returned to the plate in the fourth as an error, a single and a hit by pitch loaded them up. Phil Bell's RBI base hit stretched the lead to 4-2 and also chased Abriola out of the game. The UCF bullpen then gave up five more runs to conclude the inning trailing, 9-2.
Richardson was back at it in the fifth, sending a RBI double to the left-center gap to score Tyson Auer, who led-off the inning with a single. Chadd Hartman's second triple of the year kicked off the seventh, and he came around to score on a grounder to short off the bat of Auer to help UCF inch closer, 9-4. Two more runs were added in the eighth thanks to a two-out single through the left side by Mills, which brought in Richardson from second, and a fielding error that plated Mills.
Reliever James Oliver gave up a one-out single to Chris Duffy and a walk to Richardson in the ninth as UCF attempted to make things interesting. UAB dug into the bullpen and brought out Kyle Roberson, who saw Kallstrom bang a single up the middle to fill the bases. Now with the Knights sending the go-ahead run to the plate in Stropp, Roberson got ahead in the count 0-2 before walking in a run to make it 9-7. Mills entered the batter's box looking at the tying run at second, but ended the game on a 1-4-3 double play.
UCF's five-game road swing concludes Tuesday when it makes the journey to Tampa to take on USF at 7 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: Ben Styes (2-3), 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
LP: Derek Abriola (0-1), 3.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- Tyson Auer kept his hitting streak alive, pushing it to seven games with a 1-for-5 performance.
- Chadd Hartman extended his hitting streak to six games thanks to a 2-for-4 affair.
- Brian Brooks as virtually untouchable in relief, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings as UAB posted just three hits and no walks off the lefty.
- UCF completed the series finale with 13 hits compared to UAB's 11.