April 5, 2008
Sunday's Preview in PDF Format
HOUSTON, Texas (www.ucfathletics.com) - Houston broke out for a seven-run fourth inning to defeat the No. 25 UCF baseball team, 10-1, Saturday at Cougar Field. It was the Knights' sixth-consecutive loss as they fell to 22-10 on the 2008 season and 2-6 in Conference USA.
Junior Eric Kallstrom extended his hitting streak to seven games during Saturday's outing, which included the Southwest Ranches, Fla., native crushing his third homer of the year and the 11th in his UCF career.
Scoring chances arrived in both the second and third innings for the Knights when they were able to get a runner into scoring position in each frame. However, Houston starter Ty Stuckey prevented UCF from getting on the board to help set up the Cougars' offense in the third. After sophomore Mitch Houck (3-1) got the first two outs, he gave up an infield single, hit a batter and walked two-straight to provide UH with a 1-0 lead.
That did not hold up very long, as Kallstrom opened the fourth by drilling a 2-2 offering over the left-field fence. The Knights would later put two aboard with two down but were unable to get the go-ahead run across. Houston replied in the bottom half with seven runs to put the game away in its early stages. In the sixth, a Chris Wallace two-run single gave the Cougars double-figures and the final 10-1 margin.
The Knights conclude their trip to Houston with the series finale Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
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 - 22-10 Overall, 2-6 Conference USA
Houston - 18-10 Overall, 4-1 Conference USA
WP: Ty Stuckey (2-2), 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
LP: Mitch Houck (3-1), 3.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
- Mitch Houck lasted 3.1 innings, ending a string of four-straight starts in which he went at least 6.0 innings.
- The six-game losing streak is just the third time since UCF entered Division I in 1985 that the Knights lost at least six in a row (six-game streak in 2002 and a nine-game streak in 2006).
- UCF has not scored more than four runs in its last seven contests, while it has surrendered at least 10 runs in four of its last six games.
- Mitch Herold made his first relief appearance of 2008, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, including striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth.
- Carmine Giardina is slated to make his first weekend start of the year when he gets the nod for Sunday's finale.