May 4, 2010
| UCF at Florida Atlantic May 4, 2010 |
| From Boca Raton, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| UCF | 14 | 19 | 0 | ||
| FAU | 3 | 9 | 1 | ||
WP: Bradford (4-3), 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
LP: Everist (2-7), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 0 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
Knotted at 2-2 in the third with two outs, Austin Johnston was walked with the bases loaded to put UCF in front. But it was Alex Friedrich who took the wind out of the sails of FAU with his two-run single on a 1-2 pitch to make it 5-2.
Three Stars
First Star: UCF RP Chase Bradford, WP, kept FAU at bay for 5 innings out of the pen
Second Star: UCF RF Alex Friedrich, 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, made it 5-2 with a 2-run single in the 3rd
Third Star: The rest of the UCF offense (19-for-43 overall, Duffy appears on base all 5 times, Griffin 3-run HR, Taladay 4 hits, Sweeney 3 hits)
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Boca Raton, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior Chris Duffy (Orlando, Fla.) recorded career-hit No. 222 to crack UCF's all-time top-10 in the Knights' 14-3 victory at Florida Atlantic Tuesday. Backed by 19 hits, it was their 12th-straight non-conference win, its longest such streak since a 14-game non-conference stretch in 2001, and it helped boost the Black and Gold's record to 28-19 on the year.
"Tonight was another great bounce back win. Every single time this entire season that this team has faced adversity from a tough setback, we've rebounded," said second-year head coach Terry Rooney. "What we need to make sure happens is that we don't have as many setbacks. But that's why I'm so proud of this team. We lost two close games last weekend to Memphis where we gave 100 percent effort, yet just came up a little short. And then we had the resiliency to come out and play one of the best games we've played all year against an outstanding FAU team today."
Duffy appeared on base all five times vs. the Owls (29-16), going 2-for-2 with two walks and a HBP. The left fielder scored two runs and picked up his 63rd RBI of the season. With 222 collegiate hits, Duffy tied Chad Mottola for 10th on the all-time list. Earlier in 2010, classmate Shane Brown also jumped into the top 10 and currently stands in eighth with 237.
One of the hottest hitters on the club, junior Jonathan Griffin wanted to test his muscle against the wind Tuesday. Facing a strong wind blowing in from center, the first baseman easily defeated the elements on a three-run homer to dead center in a deciding six-run fifth inning. It was his ninth of the year and third in his last five outings.
Several other Knights tattooed FAU pitching in what was the first meeting between the two programs since 2005 (and first in Boca Raton since 2004). Beau Taylor stretched his career-long hitting streak to 13 games, Chris Taladay rapped out four hits for the fourth time this year and Alex Friedrich amassed three RBI from the nine hole.
While the offense was busy delivering, reliever Chase Bradford put together one of his best outings of 2010. The junior threw 5.0 innings from the pen, limiting the home team to one run on five hits and striking out four to improve his record to 4-3.
Starting pitcher Alex Besaw lasted just an inning after giving up two runs in the first. However the Knights were able to respond vs. righty Taylor Everist in the top of the second, loading the bases with no outs thanks to a single and two walks. Friedrich would also earn a free pass to drive in the first run, but the only other run produced came on a double-play groundball.
One inning later and UCF reloaded the bases after reliever Kevin Alexander stepped on the hill. With two outs, Austin Johnston drew a RBI walk and Friedrich brought in a pair on a groundball single that barely snuck through the left side.
The Black and Gold would then pound the ball hard in the fifth. With one down, Johnston smoked a double to left and Friedrich singled to place runners at the corners. And on just the next two pitches, UCF scored three runs when Ronnie Richardson lined the first pitch from Alexander into the left-center gap, and he motored all of the way to third for a two-run triple. On the very next offering, Darnell Sweeney dropped a two-bagger into center to make it 8-3.
And the scoring was not over in the fifth. With Sweeney still aboard, Duffy was plunked to put two on base with two down. That brought up Griffin, who violently ripped a three-run home run over the wall in center to complete the six-run inning.
As Bradford kept moving along on the mound, including escaping a bases-loaded jam with one out in the sixth, the Knights made it 13-3 with two in the seventh highlighted by Duffy's 222nd career hit.
With a huge cushion, UCF righty Brennan Dobbins retired the side in order in the seventh before leaving the bases loaded in the eighth, including striking out three in the inning. After the Knights completed their scoring with an unearned run in the ninth, Cory Weech finished it off in the home half to secure the win.
The Knights will now take a week off before returning to the field next Tuesday, May 11, when they host Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. Check UCFAthletics.com later this week for a big announcement concerning the pregame festivities for that tilt with the Dolphins.
Single-game tickets are currently on sale for the 2010 season. 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
UCF - 28-19 Overall
FAU - 29-16 Overall
-Florida Atlantic entered the night with an 11-1 record in its last 12 games.
-During UCF's 12-game non-conference winning streak, it has defeated several schools from the state of Florida: Miami, Florida Atlantic, Stetson, Bethune-Cookman, North Florida and South Florida.
-Tuesday was the 16th game UCF scored at least 10 runs this season.
-Darnell Sweeney finished 3-for-6 as all nine starters posted at least one hit. Seven Knights notched two hits or more.
-With 19, UCF has cranked out at least 19 hits in a game five times in 2010 (tied a school-record with 28 vs. Hartford March 14).
-The bullpen of Chase Bradford, Brennan Dobbins and Cory Weech combined for 8.0 innings, six hits, one run and nine strikeouts.
-And to mix in the defense, the Knights made no errors to complete the overall team effort.