June 26, 2007
New York, N.Y. (www.ucfathletics.com) - After beginning his Major League Baseball career with the Detroit Tigers in 2002, former UCF pitcher Mike Maroth (Orlando, Fla./Boone High School), who was traded June 22 to the St. Louis Cardinals, dominated the National League East leading New York Mets Monday. In his NL debut, the lefty tossed 7.1 innings, allowing only one run on just two hits, striking out four while walking two.
In a game played on ESPN2, Maroth used 99 pitches vs. the Mets, surrendering a single in the second and a solo homer in the third. After the dinger by Carlos Gomez, Maroth shut down the home team as the only baserunners allowed the rest of the way were on a walk and two errors. He left the game after recording the first out of the eighth in a 1-1 ballgame, where New York went on to use a home run by Shawn Green in the bottom of the 11th to squeak out a 2-1 victory.
Maroth, who is tentatively scheduled to start again at Cincinnati June 30, pitched for UCF from 1996-98, and was 9-7 with a career ERA of 3.92. Unlike his current status as a starter in the majors, Maroth made just 18 starts in 50 appearances with the Knights. He posted three saves in 1997, and struck out 143 batters in 160.2 career innings pitched. Maroth was drafted in the third round by the Boston Red Sox in the 1998 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Also making a pitching debut Monday was Tim Bascom, who spent 2004-06 with UCF. Drafted earlier this month in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles, the right-hander was perfect in 5.0 innings of work with the Delmarva Shorebirds, sitting down all 15 hitters faced vs. the Lakewood BlueClaws in Class A's South Atlantic League. With a run in the ninth, the Shorebirds walked away with a 3-2 win.
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