May 19, 2011
| UCF vs. Marshall May 19, 2011 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | R | H | E | ||
| Marshall | 6 | 9 | 0 | ||
| UCF | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
WP: Blair (2-3), 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
LP: Adkins (6-4), 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
SV: King (2), 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Game-Changing Moment
With a 1-0 lead, Marshall loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning and after a Rhett Stafford infield single made it 2-0, Victor Gomez drilled a two-run double to left in what would be a four-run inning.
Three Stars
First: MAR SP Aaron Blair, WP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 K
Second: MAR RP Josh King, SV, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Third: MAR RF Rhett Stafford, 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, HR
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Marshall plated four runs in the third inning and cruised the rest of the way in a 6-0 victory over UCF Thursday. The Knights' five-game winning streak came to an end as their record dropped to 34-20 on the year and 10-12 in Conference USA.
"I felt like we seemed a little bit slow. We just didn't have the extra step tonight," said head coach Terry Rooney. "Their pitcher did a good job and they had the big inning. We just couldn't get anything going. Now we've got to regroup, get our bodies fresh and come out ready to go tomorrow."
UCF's errorless streak also was stopped Thursday vs. the Thundering Herd (20-29, 7-15) as it committed an error in the sixth inning (did not do any damage). Overall the Black and Gold did not make a miscue in eight-straight games from May 6-17, and in 83.0 total innings dating back to May 3 at South Florida.
A huge bright spot for the Knights was the performance of freshman Ben Lively. The hard-throwing righty won his first five-collegiate starts before being relegated to the bullpen. However against Marshall he proved how much he wanted to break back into the rotation, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings with only two hits allowed and four strikeouts in relief.
UCF starting pitcher Brian Adkins issued a pair of walks in the first inning Thursday which led to a run on a sac fly from Victor Gomez. In the third, the lefty surrendered two ground ball singles and hit a batter to load them up with no outs. And the Thundering Herd went on to take control with four runs and a 5-0 lead.
While the Knights' bats were being confused by the arm of Marshall righty Aaron Blair, the Herd added a run in the fifth on a solo shot off the left-field foul pole by Rhett Stafford. Following a one-out single by Gomez, UCF went to the pen for Lively and he eventually got the final two outs to leave the deficit at 6-0.
The Knights waited until the sixth inning to get two runners on base but the two walks issued by Blair did not result in any UCF runs. Reliever Josh King would work the final 3.0 innings, and the Marshall pitching duo never allowed a leadoff batter to reach base en route to its victory.
The second game of the series with the Thundering Herd is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m., while the finale will be Senior Day and first pitch is set for Saturday at noon.
Game Notes
Marshall - 20-29 Overall, 7-15 C-USA
UCF - 34-20 Overall, 10-12 C-USA
-Brian Adkins' streak of 10-straight starts with at least 6.0 innings was halted Thursday. He finished with 4.1 innings, two strikeouts and six runs against on seven hits.
-Beau Taylor's hitting streak stayed alive as he extended it to a season-high 10 games.