March 7, 2009
Notes for Sunday's Game in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Monmouth's Paul Bottigliero's grand slam in the third and three-run jack in the sixth helped Monmouth defeat the UCF baseball team, 11-4, Saturday at Jay Bergman Field. The loss dropped the Knights' overall record to 3-7, while the Hawks picked up their first win of the year (1-4).
Monmouth racked up the hits quickly in game two of the series, with five of its first nine hits being infield singles. And it took a 1-0 lead in the second on a RBI base hit from Tim McEndy off UCF starter Austin Hudson. In the third, the Hawks took charge, plating five runs before they recorded an out, highlighted by Bottigliero's grand slam to left. Monmouth plated one more run on a two-out error to bring it to 7-0.
Senior Eric Kallstrom started up the UCF bats in the bottom half, doubling to right center off Ryan Buch with one down. Classmate Chadd Hartman made sure he would not be stranded, sending a single up the middle for the Knights' first run. Although Hartman would be called out on a fielder's choice with freshman Austin Smith batting, Smith would steal second and reach third on a wild pitch. He would eventually score on a defensive miscue.
The Knights returned with a two-out RBI single by Kallstrom in the fourth, and then junior Shane Brown scored on a two-out wild pitch in the fifth to cut it to 7-4. However, Bottigliero struck again in the sixth after a walk with two outs kept the inning alive, sending a three-run homer to left which ended the UCF comeback. The Hawks added one more in the ninth to complete their scoring.
Monmouth's Nick McNamara earned the save by tossing the final 4.0 innings. He allowed just one runner on base from the sixth to the eighth innings (a hit by pitch in the sixth) and gave up his only two hits when there were two outs in the ninth.
The three-game series wraps up Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
Baseball season and single game tickets are on sale now for the 2009 campaign. Call the UCF Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000 for more information. Fans may also visit UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, and is the home of UCF's online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Game Notes
Monmouth - 1-4 overall
UCF - 3-7 overall
WP: Ryan Buch (1-1), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
LP: Austin Hudson (0-2), 2.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
SV: Nick McNamara (1), 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
-Freshman Jake Huxtable made his first-career start at second base Saturday.
-Meanwhile, freshman Alex Friedrich made his collegiate debut, pinch-hitting to lead off the seventh and flew out to deep center field. Later in the ninth, he posted his first hit, a single through the left side.
-A day after posting his first collegiate win on the mound, freshman D.J. Hicks, who was the designated hitter Saturday, connected for his first D-I hit, a single in the fourth.
-Facing a right-handed starting pitcher, the Knights used five left-handed hitters in their lineup.
-Kiko Vazquez was hit by a pitch for the 30th time in his career. He currently sits in fourth place on the UCF all-time list.