April 16, 2010
| UCF vs. Rice April 16, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| Rice | 9 | 9 | 3 | ||
| UCF | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
WP: Taylor Wall (2-4), 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
LP: Johnny Sedlock (2-3), 2.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
After Rice was retired 1-2-3 in the first, UCF was poised to score in its half by sending runners to first and third with one out. But with Rice's Taylor Wall on the mound, the lefty forced Ryan Breen to hit into an inning-ending double play. The very next inning, the Owls scored three on Michael Fuda's homer and they were on their way to the win.
Three Stars
First Star: RICE SP Taylor Wall, WP, 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 K
Second Star: RICE DH Michael Fuda, 2-for-3, 4 RBI, 3-run HR
Third Star: RICE 3B Anthony Rendon, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, stole a pair of UCF base hits with his glove work at third
UCF Notes for Game Two Saturday
Game Notes in PDF Format
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Rice quieted a very vocal UCF crowd early in the game as the second-place Knights suffered a 9-2 loss to the first-place Owls Friday in Orlando. With the defeat, the Black and Gold's five-game winning streak was snapped as it dropped to 23-13 on the year and 5-5 in Conference USA.
UCF did have key scoring chances against the Owls (22-14, 7-3), including first and third with one out in the first, and bases loaded in the sixth, yet could not convert either time. Both teams left nine runners on base.
UCF starting pitcher Johnny Sedlock opened up the game with an eight-pitch first inning to retire the side, then the offense quickly put runners at the corners with one out in the home half. However Rice lefty Taylor Wall induced a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play to halt the Knights' momentum. The Owls capitalized in the second by way of a two-out, three-run homer off the bat of Michael Fuda.
Holding a 3-0 lead, Rice continued to jump on the UCF arms in the third, plating four runs as the Knights were forced to go to the pen twice in the frame. It put the game out of reach with one in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Entering the bottom of the fifth trailing 9-0, UCF tried again to get on the board as Chris Taladay was hit by a pitch to lead it off. Wall did pick up a groundout before Ronnie Richardson singled up the middle to place runners at first and third, and a wild pitch permitted Taladay to touch home. The southpaw continued to be a little wild by plunking Shane Brown, and although Wall earned a strikeout for out No. 2, Beau Taylor dropped a RBI single into left.
The Knights continued to get men on base in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs only to see Wall, who topped the 100-pitch mark in the inning, force Brown to fly out deep to right to end the threat. Wall went on to toss 7.2 innings of five-hit ball, as neither team got on the board in the final four innings.
The two squads will turn their attention to game two, which gets underway Saturday at 4 p.m.
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
Rice - 22-14 Overall, 7-3 Conference USA
UCF - 23-13 Overall, 5-5 Conference USA
-UCF entered the game with two-straight Friday-night victories over Rice.
-Shane Brown was hit by a pitch for the 51st time, giving him sole possession of first place on the UCF all-time HBP chart.
-Reliever Bryan Brown served as UCF's third pitcher of the game, and finished with a career-high 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run and striking out two.
-Following him, Brian Adkins allowed just one baserunner, a two-out walk in the ninth, to close out the final 2.2 innings, including striking out the first three batters he faced.
-Combined, Brown and Adkins went 7.0 innings out of the pen, giving up one earned run on four hits and striking out five.