April 13, 2010
| UCF vs. Stetson April 13, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| Stetson | 6 | 14 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 10 | 15 | 1 | ||
WP: Alex Besaw (1-2), 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LP: Will Dorsey (2-2), 3.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
UCF did trail Stetson, 3-2, going into the bottom of the fourth as the Hatters plated three in their half. But the Knights responded right away to not allow their opponent to hang on to the momentum. After Austin Johnston and Ronnie Richardson notched two-strike hits to start the frame, Shane Brown belted a RBI double to left to tie it up. But the big hit eventually came when Darnell Sweeney blasted the first pitch he saw from Ian Thompson into center, scoring two and giving UCF the lead for good.
Three Stars
First Star: UCF RF Shane Brown, 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 2B, HR
Second Star: UCF CF Ronnie Richardson, 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB, BB
Third Star: UCF LF Chris Duffy, 2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior Shane Brown fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle in UCF's 10-6 victory over Stetson Tuesday in Orlando. It was the Knights fifth-straight triumph while it moved their record to 23-12, which already surpasses their win total from 2009.
"Tonight was a reflection of what we have been doing the last several weeks," said head coach Terry Rooney. "I say this all of the time that college baseball is a game of momentum, and you need to capitalize on momentum. My team will be ready to play every single day, and I'm going to have 35 guys ready to roll each game and they are going to have a lot of energy. And I think that we did that today. That was a big reason that we won. We kept battling and battling, and we stayed with that. Our team is holding each other accountable in a positive way in so many different lights. It was good to see."
Continuing an impressive year at the dish, Brown delivered three hits vs. the Hatters (19-16) to move up to No. 9 on the UCF career hits chart with 224. Meanwhile he also jumped into a tie for fourth on the all-time list with his 52nd-career double, and his homer in the sixth-inning was No. 20 all-time as a Knight.
Fellow senior Chris Duffy also had a strong showing at the plate, bashing out his 14th homer of 2010 (36th of his career) in a 2-for-3 performance at the dish. That allowed the Orlando native to climb into a tie for sixth on the single-season home run chart.
The Knights used seven pitchers Tuesday, with Alex Besaw serving as the fourth arm of the night. He would pitch 1.2 scoreless innings to get his first Division I victory.
UCF starting pitcher Brennan Dobbins induced ground balls to the first five batters of the game, and would strand runners at the corners in the second inning. With Stetson being held off the scoreboard, UCF grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second thanks to back-to-back doubles from Chris Taladay and Jonathan Griffin. A sac bunt out of Austin Johnston pushed Griffin to third with one out, and Ronnie Richardson delivered the RBI by way of a groundout to short.
That 2-0 lead would be cut in half in the fourth as Spencer Theisen blasted a solo shot to right. The Hatters went on to plate two more in the frame to jump in front, 3-2.
But the Black and Gold answered right away in the home half. Johnston and Richardson led it off with two-strike singles before Brown connected for a RBI double to left. That would force starting pitcher Will Dorsey to the dugout, but Ian Thompson's first pitch was a two-run single off the bat of Darnell Sweeney to complete the three-run stanza.
After reliever Nick Cicio worked out of a jam in the top of the sixth, Richardson led off the UCF half with a 3-1 walk vs. righty Nick Bohne. The center fielder did not stay there long, as Brown crushed the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a two-run job and a 7-3 UCF advantage. It would get one more later in the inning following a triple from Beau Taylor and RBI fielder's choice out of Ryan Breen.
The Hatters did produce a run in the seventh, only to see Richardson drive in Griffin from third by rifling a 2-2 pitch the opposite way and through the right side for a 9-4 cushion. That proved to be helpful since Stetson replied with a pair of runs in the eighth.
However Duffy used all of his muscle in the bottom of the eighth, swinging on a 3-0 pitch and sending a solo shot the opposite way to left. That all but wrapped it up, as Brian Adkins tossed the final 2.0 innings to preserve the win.
UCF will now prepare for a battle for first place in Conference USA as it hosts Rice this weekend beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Owls sit in first place with a 6-3 league record while the Knights are one game behind at 5-4.
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
Stetson - 19-16 Overall
UCF - 23-12 Overall
-Tuesday marked the 115th meeting between UCF and Stetson.
-It also was the eighth-straight win by the Knights over the Hatters.
-UCF is now 16-5 in its last 21 games.
-Chris Duffy's homer was his third against Stetson this year (he had two in DeLand March 17).
-Senior Cory Weech made his first appearance of the season on the mound after recovering from an injury.
-Stetson's Jeff Simpson entered Tuesday with a 24-game hitting streak, but a combination of seven UCF pitchers did not allow it to reach 25.
-Every UCF starter had a hit, including at least two each from Duffy, Shane Brown, Beau Taylor, Jonathan Griffin and Ronnie Richardson.