Feb. 20, 2010
Final Stats
| UCF vs. Savannah State Feb. 20, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| Savannah State | 4 | 10 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 14 | 19 | 0 | ||
WP: Johnny Sedlock (1-0), 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
LP: Kevin Herlihy (0-1), 2.0 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
-Once again the first inning did in Savannah State. With one on and two outs in the bottom half, the Knights pounced on the Tigers for four runs, capped off by Chris Duffy's first home run of the game. That halted SSU's momentum after it went ahead 1-0, and in the second inning, UCF went on to score four more runs, ultimately sealing the win early.
Three Stars
First Star: LF Chris Duffy - 4-for-5, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 2B
Second Star: C Beau Taylor - 5-for-6, 3 RBI, 4 R, HR, 1 runner caught stealing
Third Star: SP Johnny Sedlock - Winning pitcher, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, pitched out of a couple jams
UCF Notes for Game Three Sunday
Game Notes in PDF Format
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior Chris Duffy (Orlando, Fla.) set a career-high in RBI by the fourth inning and the UCF baseball team (2-0) was on its way to a 14-4 win over Savannah State (0-2) Saturday. Duffy went 4-for-5 with seven RBI, two runs, two homers and 12 total bases, falling one shy of tying the UCF single-game RBI mark as well as the record for total bases in a game.
"This is definitely motivating. I'm going to try and take this into the future to keep them coming," said Duffy. "(On the second home run which came on an 0-2 count) I saw a fastball over the plate, it might have been a little away, and I just took it where it was pitched. I know that a few pitches before I fouled them off and I was kind of pulling off the ball. In my mind I was thinking to just stay on it, but I got a good piece of the bat on it."
Duffy moved to No. 8 on the Knights all-time home run chart with 24 career long balls. Along with setting personal-highs in RBI, he also matched a single-game best with four hits.
While Duffy was busy driving them in, so was Beau Taylor. The sophomore catcher set career-highs with five hits and four runs scored, going 5-for-6 with three RBI and a home run. The quartet of hitters from No. 4 to 7 in the lineup, Taylor, Jonathan Griffin, Duffy and Kevin Vasquez, combined to go 15-for-21 with 12 RBI, 10 runs, four doubles and three homers.
Lost due the offense's display was left-handed starter Johnny Sedlock, who earned the win in his UCF debut by striking out four in 5.0 innings of work.
Although Dexter Kelley greeted Sedlock with a two-run single in the top of the first, SSU's starting pitcher Kevin Herlihy was introduced to Division I baseball rather rudely. The freshman lefty opened the game by walking Ronnie Richardson, and while he did retire the next two batters, Richardson swiped second to get into scoring position. Following an infield hit from Taylor, Griffin cranked a two-run double into right center. That set up a two-run blast over the right-field wall off the bat of Duffy.
With four two-out runs in the bag, UCF would come close to batting around for the second-straight inning with four more runs its next time up. Richardson kicked it off again, this time with a single, and he promptly stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Shane Brown picked up the RBI with a groundout himself.
Now ahead 5-1, another two-out rally began when Taylor and Griffin both singled. Duffy would fall behind 0-2, yet Herlihy left a fastball over the middle of the plate that Duffy took advantage of, placing it off the batter's eye wall beyond the fence in center for a three-run job.
Eventually in the fourth frame, reliever Michael Reffitt fell victim to Duffy as well, as the left fielder drove in Taylor by taking a pitch the opposite way and placing it just inside the left-field line for a RBI double.
The two squads traded runs before SSU plated two more in the seventh to cut it to 10-4. UCF had the answer in the home half, where Taylor delivered a solo shot over the wall in right-center. The inning was not over, as Duffy ripped a two-out RBI double into the gap in left-center, pushing the lead to 12-4. Taylor then closed out the scoring by way of a two-out, two run single in the eighth.
UCF will now try to sweep the series with the third and final game Sunday at 1 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2010 campaign are currently on sale. To purchase tickets, call 407-823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com. And for the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com and become a follow of the Knights on Twitter and Facebook.
Game Notes
Savannah State - 0-2 Overall
UCF - 2-0 Overall
-Chris Duffy's two home runs marked the fifth time in his career that he connected for two dingers in a game.
-Freshman Joe Rogers stepped on the hill for the first time in 2010 and finish a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.
-The Knights swiped five bases, including two by Ronnie Richardson and Kevin Vasquez.
-Conversely, catcher Beau Taylor threw out a runner for the second-straight game.
-UCF's 19 hits were the most since April 24, 2009, when it notched a school-record 28 hits.
-Meanwhile, the 19 hits were the most in a home game dating back to March 3, 2006, when the Knights put up 24 vs. Monmouth.