April 2, 2011
| UCF vs. Southern Miss April 2, 2011 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| Southern Miss | 13 | 22 | 1 | ||
| UCF | 2 | 6 | 1 | ||
WP: Thomas (6-1), 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
LP: Winkler (3-2), 1.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
SV: None
Game-Changing Moment
Southern Miss used eight groundball singles and a three-run double in the second inning to take control of the game, putting up seven runs in the inning.
Three Stars
First: USM DH Marc Bourgeois, 5-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 R
Second: USM SP Geoffrey Thomas, WP, 8.0 IP, 2 R, 5 K
Third: USM C Jared Bales, 4-for-4, 4 RBI, 2 R
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - No. 20 Southern Miss plated seven runs in the second inning en route to a 13-2 victory at No. 23 UCF Saturday to take the series. The Knights fell to 19-8 on the year and 2-3 in Conference USA, while the Golden Eagles stretched their record to 21-5 and 4-1.
"We need to challenge ourselves, forget about today and get a win tomorrow," said head coach Terry Rooney. "Today wasn't our day and you have to give their guy credit, he did a nice job on the mound. But at the end of the day it's hard to come back when you're down seven runs early. We just got to keep doing the little things and we'll be in good shape."
Sophomore D.J. Hicks pounded out a solo homer in the fourth, which was his team-high sixth of the year, and senior Kevin Vasquez demolished a pitch over the left-field wall in the eighth inning for his first-career dinger in a UCF uniform.
Following an easy first inning for both pitchers, UCF starter Danny Winkler was relieved in the second where Southern Miss produced six groundball singles before a three-run double by Marc Bourgeois broke it open. The Golden Eagles went on to post seven runs on nine hits, with eight of those hits being of the groundball variety.
With a lot of run support, Southern Miss righty Geoffrey Thomas breezed through the UCF lineup, facing four batters or less in all eight of his innings on the hill.
The C-USA series with the Golden Eagles concludes Sunday at noon.
Game Notes
No. 20 Southern Miss - 21-5 Overall, 4-1 C-USA
No. 23 UCF - 19-8 Overall, 2-3 C-USA
-Right fielder Ryan Breen took a home run away from B.A. Vollmuth in the sixth by snagging a fly ball by the right-field deck.
-UCF grounded into three double plays Saturday, while Southern Miss also bounced into four double plays.
-D.J. Hicks paced the UCF offense by going 2-for-3.
-The Knights got outhit 22-6 on the afternoon.
-Alex Besaw needed just four pitches, all strikes, in his scoreless ninth inning of relief.