April 3, 2010
Final Stats
| UCF vs. UAB April 3, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| UAB | 7 | 14 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||
WP: Beau Pender (3-1), 8.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
LP: Nick Cicio (2-2), 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
With UCF trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Knights still had life, especially after coming back from a five-run deficit the night before. But on this day, UAB's Beau Pender did not let another comeback happen. When Shane Brown led off the fourth with a double, Pender buckled down to retire the next three Knights and leave Brown stranded. That would prove that Pender meant business, and he would go on to toss 8.1 innings with 10 Ks.
Three Stars
First Star: UAB SP Beau Pender, WP, 8.1 IP, 10 K
Second Star: UAB SS Jonathan Merritt, 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HBP
Third Star: UAB CF Jamal Austin, 3-for-5, 2B, SAC, SB
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF could not get anything going in a 7-2 loss to UAB in game one of a doubleheader Saturday. The Knights (18-11, 2-3) and Blazers (16-9, 3-2) will now conclude their Conference USA series with the night-cap starting at 6:30 p.m.
Jumping another spot on the all-time chart, Chris Duffy pushed his hitting streak to 19 games, putting him in a tie for the fourth longest in UCF history. Fellow senior Shane Brown also kept his alive, moving it to 12 games.
Luke Stewart immediately put UAB in front with a two-out, two-run double off UCF starter Nick Cicio in the first frame. The Knights would then go to the bullpen and Chase Bradford in the second and the Blazers went on to put a one on the scoreboard in the second, third and fifth innings for a 5-0 lead. Eventually in the sixth, they loaded the bases with one out and proceeded to score just one and it came on a passed ball.
Now trailing 6-0, UCF had difficulty stringing hits together vs. UAB senior righty Beau Pender who had one of his best outings of his career. With the Knights unable to get a rally going, the Blazers' easily held on for the victory. Pender did try to complete his shutout in the ninth yet surrendered four-straight hits with one out, including a two-run single from Beau Taylor. Ben Bullard then came out of the pen to close the door for UAB.
After wrapping up the series with UAB Saturday, UCF will then hit the road to face South Florida Tuesday before traveling to Southern Miss next weekend.
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 - 16-9 Overall, 3-2 Conference USA
UCF - 18-11 Overall, 2-3 Conference USA
-With two hits, Shane Brown has at least two hits in six-straight games. He has posted two hits or more in 21 of UCF's 29 games in 2010.
-Chris Taladay and Ryan Breen also collected two hits for the Knights.