March 27, 2010
| UCF at Houston March 27, 2010 |
| From Houston, Texas | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| UCF | 3 | 10 | 2 | ||
| Houston | 7 | 12 | 0 | ||
WP: William Kankel (1-1), 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
LP: Johnny Sedlock (1-2), 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Game-Changing Moment
UCF was attempting to climb back into the game when it scored two in the fifth to make it 4-3 Houston. But the Cougars had the quick answer in the bottom half when Codey Morehouse crushed a three-run homer to left, putting the game out of reach for the Knights.
Three Stars
First Star: UH 3B Austin Gracey, 2-for-4, 2-run HR
Second Star: UH LF Codey Morehouse, 1-for-3, key 3-run HR in 5th
Third Star: UCF RF Shane Brown, 3-for-4, SF
Notes for Game Three Sunday
UCF Notes in PDF Format
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Houston, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF baseball team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end in a 7-3 loss at Houston Saturday. The Knights' record dropped to 15-9 on the year and 1-1 in Conference USA action as they will try to capture the series with the Cougars (11-10, 1-1) in game three Sunday.
Looking to carry momentum from Friday night's win into Saturday, UCF could not have asked for a better way to take control of game two as it loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first. That was when UH lefty William Kankel found a rhythm and breezed past the next three Knights to escape.
UCF could have felt deflated, yet starting pitcher Johnny Sedlock calmed things down and did not allow a hit in the first two frames. Kankel also was cruising until giving up a two-out walk to Ryan Breen in the third. The freshmen then stole second and scored on a two-strike single up the middle from Chris Duffy.
The lead did not last. Travis Trial opened the home half with a solo homer and UH would go on to score three in the inning and one more in the fourth for a 4-1 advantage.
The Knights, though, did not want the deficit to balloon and cut away in the fifth. Freshman Austin Johnston kick-started the stanza by lining a 2-2 offering through the left side, and classmate Darnell Sweeney came through with his first-career triple to right-center. He would score one batter later thanks to Shane Brown's sac fly to right, and Sweeney did so by using his agility to get past the tag and sneak his hand onto home plate.
Now trailing 4-3, the Black and Gold was unable to keep it close as Codey Morehouse hammered out a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, ruining any shot at a Knights' comeback.
The first C-USA series of the year wraps up Sunday when UCF and Houston meet at 2 p.m. ET.
Ticket plans 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 follower of the Knights on Twitter and Facebook.
Game Notes
UCF - 15-9 Overall, 1-1 Conference USA
Houston - 11-10 Overall, 1-1 Conference USA
-Freshman Austin Johnston and senior Shane Brown paced UCF with three hits apiece.
-Chris Duffy pushed his hitting streak to 15 games.
-Freshman Ryan Breen stole his sixth base of the year in the third inning.
-Saturday marked just the third game this year the Knights did not hit a homer.