Feb. 26, 2011
| UCF vs. Southeastern Louisiana Feb. 26, 2011 |
| From Mobile, Ala. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| SLU | 7 | 16 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 2 | 7 | 0 | ||
WP: Koon (1-1), 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
LP: Brown (0-1), 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Game-Changing Moment
UCF cut it to 4-2 in the seventh and had the tying run on base when reliever Stefan Lopez stepped on the hill. But Travis Shreve hit into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play as the Lions recaptured the momentum.
Three Stars
First Star: SLU SS Justin Boudreaux - 4-for-5, 4 RBI, HR
Second Star: SLU SP Joseph Koon - WP, 6.1 IP, 5 K
Third Star: SLU RP Stefan Lopez - 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Mobile, Ala. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF baseball (5-1) dropped its first game of the season Saturday in a 7-2 loss to Southeastern Louisiana (5-1) at the South Alabama Classic. Junior catcher Beau Taylor (Rockledge, Fla.) was looking to break the Knights' all-time hitting streak record but went 0-for-4, halting the streak at 26 games (tied with Mike Myers in 2001).
The loss also was the first non-conference defeat for the Knights since March 16, 2010, snapping a 19-game winning streak outside of Conference USA play. UCF also finished with seven hits, ending a string of 17-consecutive games with at least 10 hits.
Serving as the home team, UCF starting pitcher Ray Hanson got the game going in the top of the first only to have Southeastern greet him with three-straight singles to take a 1-0 lead. With the Lions looking for more, Hanson picked up the next three outs including two strikeouts to keep the deficit at one. In the bottom of the first, UCF put three different runners on base against righty Joseph Koon but could not capitalize.
Two innings later, the Lions put two more aboard with one out and following a ground ball that moved the runners to second and third, Hanson struck out Joe Sparacino on a 3-2 pitch to strand the runners.
Hanson's effort on the mound gave way to the offense in the home half where Derek Luciano continued to produce, dropping his fourth double of 2011 on the chalk down the right-field line. A sacrifice bunt by Travis Shreve pushed Luciano to third and Ronnie Richardson grabbed his third RBI of the weekend with a groundout to second.
Now tied up at 1-1 in the fourth, Southeastern once again placed two runners on base, this time with two away. After a conference on the mound, Hanson walked Jonathan Pace to load them up, yet got Justin Boudreaux to chase strike three low in the zone for the third out. The Lions tried once more in the fifth on a double and one-out walk to chase Hanson from the game. Bryan Brown entered from the pen and promptly retired the next two batters and it remained 1-1.
However the Lions finally took advantage of their opportunities in the sixth by scoring the first run off the UCF bullpen this year when Boudreaux sent a two-out, two-strike RBI single to center to retake the lead. Southeastern added two more to jump ahead, 4-1.
Koon was cruising through UCF, sitting down eight-straight before D.J. Hicks lined a hard single to right to get the seventh started. Hicks traveled to second on a groundout and Chris Taladay sent a RBI base hit up the middle to make it 4-2. A one-out walk to Luciano and just like that Koon was in the dugout. In stepped Stefan Lopez to face the top of the UCF order and the righty induced Travis Shreve to hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
With a major scoring chance in the rear-view mirror for the Black and Gold, the Lions put it away in their next trip to the plate when Boudreaux crushed a two-run homer to left-center off Chase Bradford. UCF had one last push to light up the scoreboard in the eighth when the first two Knights reached but Lopez did not allow a run to cross.
The South Alabama Classic wraps up for the Knights Sunday when they face No. 29 Alabama at 12 p.m. ET.
Game Notes
Southeastern Louisiana - 5-1 Overall
UCF - 5-1 Overall
-Sophomore Chris Taladay made his first-career start in left field Saturday. Taladay spent last year as UCF's starting third baseman and backup catcher.
-The UCF defense did not commit an error for the fourth time this year.
-Darnell Sweeney finished 2-for-3 with a walk.
-Both UCF and Southeastern were receiving votes in this week's NCBWA national rankings.