April 2, 2010
| UCF vs. UAB April 2, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| UAB | 7 | 8 | 3 | ||
| UCF | 16 | 17 | 1 | ||
WP: Owen Dew (4-1), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
LP: Mitch Kloskowski (3-2), 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
SV: Johnny Sedlock (1), 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Game-Changing Moment
UCF did score four in the second to cut UAB's lead to 5-4 but was unable to tie it up after having a runner at second and one out. With the Blazers still in front, one swing of the bat made it a new ballgame and gave the Knights the momentum as Chris Duffy led off the third with a solo homer. They would go on to score five in the fifth, three in the seventh and three in the eighth to grab the win.
Three Stars
First Star: UCF LF Chris Duffy, 3-for-5, 3 R, game-tying HR in the 3rd
Second Star: UCF 3B Derek Luciano, 3-for-6, 4 RBI
Third Star: UCF SP Owen Dew, WP, 5.0 IP, settled down after trailing 5-0 to enable his team to produce the comeback win
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UAB scored five in the second only to watch UCF plate 16 unanswered runs to defeat the Blazers (15-9, 2-2), 16-7, in the first game of a Conference USA series Friday. The Knights used a 17-hit attack to improve their record to 18-10 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Senior Chris Duffy found his home-run stroke again, delivering his 13th of the year in the third inning. It also was the 35th of his career, moving him into a tie with Matt Bowser for fourth on the UCF career chart. The Orlando native finished his evening 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.
On the mound Owen Dew (4-1) got the win after a rough second inning. But he put up zeros on the scoreboard from innings three to five to enable his team to erase its deficit.
"First of all for Owen Dew, last week at Houston was his best outing as far as pitching goes," admitted head coach Terry Rooney. "But tonight was probably his most courageous outing of the year. He gave up five runs that inning but for him to bounce back and do what he did says so much about his competitiveness."
After the Blazers batted around en route to that five-run frame, they did not help themselves defensively in the home half by committing two errors, and the Knights took advantage by scoring four runs, including a two-run double from Austin Johnston. They did have two runners on with one out and the bases loaded and two away, though, and could not tie it up.
That would not be a problem in the third and all it took was one swing from Duffy. On a 2-1 offering from Mitch Kloskowski, the senior demolished a solo shot into the wind but it still had plenty of velocity on it to hit the scoreboard.
While Dew settled down and did not allow a run over the next three frames, the offense grabbed the lead in the fifth. Working a leadoff walk, Shane Brown eventually reached third on a single from Duffy. After a RBI single from Chris Taladay, Beau Taylor took a 3-1 outside pitch to left-center for a two-out double and a pair of RBI. Following a pitching change and two HBP, Derek Luciano closed the inning with a two-run single to left.
Now holding a 10-5 cushion, UCF kept building it in the seventh. Consecutive singles from Johnston, Taylor and Darnell Sweeney made it 11-5, while a balk with Sweeney at third and another RBI hit from Luciano stretched it to 13-5. The Black and Gold closed its scoring in the eighth by way of three more runs.
The Knights would have little trouble holding the lead thanks to lefty Johnny Sedlock coming out from the pen. The junior kept UAB off the board until the ninth where it managed to score twice, but Sedlock still finished with five strikeouts for the four-inning save.
UCF's first C-USA home series will wrap up with a doubleheader Saturday. Game one is scheduled for 2 p.m. while the night-cap is slated for 6:30 p.m. Between contests, kids are invited to join in on an Easter egg hunt at the stadium.
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
UAB - 15-9 Overall, 2-2 Conference USA
UCF - 18-10 Overall, 2-2 Conference USA
-Away from Orlando, former Knight Drew Butera made the final 25-man roster for the Minnesota Twins, serving as the backup catcher to Joe Mauer.
-Derek Luciano completed his night by going 3-for-6 with four RBI.
-Seven different Knights posted two hits or more.
-Shane Brown was hit by a pitch for the 49th time in his career, giving him sole possession of second on the UCF all-time list. He only trails Ryan Bono (50 from 2003-06) by one for the all-time lead.
-That also was his 16th HBP of 2010, tying for fourth on the single-season chart.
-Also noting Brown, he kept his hitting streak alive, moving it to 11 games.
-Freshman Darnell Sweeney recorded his team-leading 11th stolen base vs. the Blazers.