April 3, 2010
Final Stats
| UCF vs. UAB April 3, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| UAB | 6 | 8 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
WP: Ryan Woolley (2-2), 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
LP: Alex Besaw (0-2), 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
In game one, UCF was unable to come up with clutch hits in the UAB victory. In the nightcap, Ronnie Richardson led off the bottom of the first with a double, but Blazers' starting pitcher Ryan Woolley once again kept the Knights off the board. That gave his team the momentum it needed, and in the next inning, Ryan Ussery delivered a two-run homer and UAB never looked back.
Three Stars
First Star: UAB SP Ryan Woolley, WP, 6.2 scoreless innings, 5 Ks
Second Star: UAB RF Ryan Ussery, 2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI
Third Star: UCF CF Ronnie Richardson, 2-for-2, 2 HBP, BB, 2B, 2 SB
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After splitting the first two games of the series, UCF could not pick up another win as the Knights (18-12, 2-4) dropped a 6-1 decision to UAB Saturday in game two of a doubleheader. Senior Chris Duffy found a way to keep his hitting streak intact against the Blazers (17-9, 4-2), extending it to 20 games which is tied for the third longest in UCF history.
Making his first appearance on the mound since March 7, junior Alex Besaw got the start for the Knights and although he escaped the first inning, Ryan Ussery delivered a two-run homer in the second for the Blazers. The righty would be on a pitch count, so Joe Rogers stepped in and UAB tacked on an unearned run in the third for a 3-0 cushion.
UCF did have scoring chances early with Ronnie Richardson leading off the first with a double, while he also got into scoring position with one out in the third, but each time his teammates could not produce a RBI.
Rogers looked impressive in his relief outing, keeping the UCF deficit to three runs until UAB was able to add one in the seventh on a squeeze bunt. Trailing 4-0, the Knights would fill the bases with two outs in the home half of the seventh, where Nick Graffeo took over for starter Ryan Woolley and the righty struck out Shane Brown to end the inning.
UCF hoped to have one last chance, but its bullpen walked the first two men and hit another to load the bases in the ninth, and UAB took advantage by scoring twice to make it 6-0, ultimately putting the game away. Those runs did come into play since the Knights put runners on in their last at-bat, and Ryan Breen ruined the shutout with a two-out RBI single. Yet the deficit was too much to overcome.
The Knights will now look ahead to a non-conference meeting with South Florida in Tampa Tuesday at 7 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
UAB - 17-9 Overall, 4-2 Conference USA
UCF - 18-12 Overall, 2-4 Conference USA
-Shane Brown's 12-game hitting streak came to an end in the nightcap.
-UCF has won the first game of both of its C-USA series openers this year, but has gone on to drop the final two outings.
-Ronnie Richardson finished 2-for-2 with a walk, double, two HBP and two SB.