July 10, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Three former UCF baseball players are on the same minor league field from July 8-10 as Tyson Auer, Dwayne Bailey and Robert Lara are meeting up in Class A. Auer and Bailey currently play for the Cedar Rapids Kernels while Lara is suiting up for the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
All three players were members of the 2008 UCF squad and are in their second season in the minors.
In game one in Cedar Rapids, Auer went 2-for-3 with a run scored from the leadoff spot in a 5-3 TinCaps' victory. Fort Wayne then took game two, 12-5, and was sparked by Lara's 2-for-5, two-RBI performance. Auer also had two more hits for the Kernels, scoring a run and driving in a pair.
Cedar Rapids' website usually has highlights from recent games and can be viewed at kernels.com. The series finale is set for Friday, July 10, at 6:35 p.m. local time. It will be the last time the two clubs meet this season.
Another former Knight, Chadd Hartman, saw time with the TinCaps this summer and is now playing for the Eugene Emeralds.
This series is not the first time UCF alums clashed in the minors in 2009. On June 12, Matt Fox (2002-04) and Tim Bascom (2004-06) were the starting pitchers in a Double-A tilt between the visiting Bowie Baysox and the New Britain Rock Cats. Bascom picked up the win for the Baysox by pitching 7.0 innings, allowing just one run and striking out seven. However Fox was just as dominant, also throwing 7.0 frames of one-run ball, sitting down six on strikes.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.