March 5, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The first road game of 2008 did not treat the No. 25 UCF baseball team kindly in a 10-5 defeat to Jacksonville Wednesday. It was the Knights' first loss of the year as they fell to 8-1, and it ended their longest winning streak since 2005.
The night was highlighted by the face-off of the Dobbins brothers, with UCF freshman pitcher Brennan Dobbins making his second collegiate appearance on the mound and JU senior Matt Dobbins earning the start at first base. Brennan Dobbins took the mound in the seventh inning, and the brothers dueled in the eighth. The Knight hurler got the better of his elder, inducing Matt Dobbins to line into an inning-ending double play with runners at the corners. Brennan Dobbins finished his outing with 2.0 scoreless innings and one strikeout.
Neither starter survived three innings, with Jacksonville (7-1) scoring at least one run in the first four frames. Offensively, sophomore Shane Brown's hitting streak went to 11 games overall, and junior Colin Arnold kept his alive at nine outings.
Jacksonville scored in the first inning for the eighth-straight game, as it took a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of UCF fielding errors and a RBI single from Brad Simmons off junior Caleb Graham. They returned in the second to plate two more runs for a 4-0 cushion.
UCF managed to place a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings, and finally got on the scoreboard in the third against starter Garrett Dunlap. Leading off the frame, junior Josh Siebenaler chopped a double over the first baseman's head and senior Dwayne Bailey reached on a walk. Following Siebenaler's fifth stolen base of 2008 and a wild pitch to get Bailey to second, senior Tyson Auer lined a RBI single through the left side.
The scoring was far from over. A wild pitch by Dunlap permitted Bailey to score the second run, while Arnold notched a single and Brown was walked to fill the bags. Although a double-play ball provided JU with two outs, Auer was able to score on the play to make it 4-3. Now with two down, junior Eric Kallstrom eventually tied it with a single to left, plating Arnold.
However, JU's offense did not quit as Simmons collected another RBI single in the third, and the Dolphins pushed it to 6-4 on a squeeze bunt off the bat of Matt Lopez. A wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth from reliever Carmine Giardina gave Jacksonville its seventh run, and Kyle Fleming squeezed another run in in the sixth for an 8-4 advantage. Later in the sixth, two more unearned runs scored to help JU put the game out of reach.
The Black and Gold did bring home one run in the seventh on a groundout, but JU's lead was too much to overcome.
UCF returns to the field when it renews its annual rivalry with Monmouth this weekend. The Knights host the Hawks Friday-Sunday with game one's first pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Jay Bergman Field.
Season tickets as well as single-game tickets to check out UCF baseball this year are currently available by contacting the UCF Ticket Office at 407-823-1000, or by going online at www.ucfathletics.com, the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Game Notes
No. 25 UCF - 8-1 Overall, 0-0 Conference USA
Jacksonville - 7-1 Overall, 3-0 Atlantic Sun
WP: Glenn Witkowski (1-0), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
LP: Caleb Graham (0-1), 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
- In its first seven games of the year, UCF committed more than one error just once. However, in both games this week vs. JU, the Knights made three and six miscues, respectively.
- Caleb Graham made his first start in a Knight uniform after transferring from Florida State, and finished with 2.1 innings of work, one strikeout and five earned runs.
- Wednesday's game ended a streak of eight-straight contests that the Knights' pitching staff struck out at least 10 batters. A combination of three pitchers fanned seven Dolphins.
- Along with having a runner in scoring position in the first three innings, UCF also had a runner at second in the fourth and loaded the bases in the fifth but could not score. The Knights left 15 runners on base in the loss.
- Tyson Auer went 3-for-5 with a RBI and run scored.
- Dwayne Bailey's hitting streak came to an end at nine games.