March 25, 2012
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After clinching its first series victory over East Carolina on Saturday, the No. 19 UCF baseball team could not complete the sweep Sunday. The Knights (19-6, 2-1) fell 15-6 to snap their perfect Sunday record this season.
ECU's Jharel Cotton kept the UCF bats off balance for most of the afternoon. He gave up 10 hits but struck out 11 in seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season.
UCF senior Alex Friedrich (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and juniors Ryan Breen (2-for-4) and D.J. Hicks (2-for-5, 2 RBI) continued their recent hot streaks. Friedrich also made a great catch in right field to prevent an East Carolina home run.
"Alex Friedrich is playing awesome," head coach Terry Rooney said. "He's doing it offensively and defensively.... He's responded every single opportunity he has been given. He's been a catalyst for us."
The Knights will hit the road for five-consecutive contests, including a Tuesday night game at Florida Atlantic, a three-game set at Houston and a matchup at Miami.
Friedrich, who singled in his first at bat, gave the 1,338 fans in attendance something to cheer about when he sent a 2-2 pitch into the right-field bullpen for his second solo home run in two games and his third of the year. The former walk-on had two round-trippers in his first three seasons combined.
In the bottom of the fifth, Travis Shreve extended his hitting streak to eight games and scored on a Darnell Sweeney single up the middle.
News & Notes:
-Ronnie Richardson was hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season and moved up to No. 5 on UCF's all-time hit-by-pitch list.
-Hicks upped his C-USA lead in RBI to 37 with a two-run single in the ninth inning
-Four UCF softball players sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on Sunday. The softball team will host East Carolina next weekend. UCF and ECU will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 31, and a single game at noon Sunday, April 1.