May 24, 2012
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
PEARL, Miss. (UCFAthletics.com) - The No. 16 UCF baseball team suffered a 15-1 (7) defeat to UAB in its opening game at the Conference USA Championship from Trustmark Park Thursday afternoon. It was just the fourth loss away from home for the Knights (41-15) in 2012.
The Blazers (30-27) peppered UCF for 17 hits, including 15 singles, as Michael Busby went six innings and allowed just three hits for the win.
UAB struck first in the ballgame with three two-out hits to bring in a run in the top of the third and added another in the fourth.
UCF forged its way into the hit column in the bottom of the fourth on a Darnell Sweeney leadoff double to left-center. After taking third on a Chris Taladay groundout, he was brought in by Alex Friedrich who drove a 2-2, two-out pitch through the left side to make it 2-1.
The Blazers went right back to work in the fifth, exploding for 13 runs and sending 18 to the dish in a 45-minute span. After starter Eric Skoglund was knocked out of the game, three more UCF pitchers were used to get out of the inning.
UCF will look to bounce back when it takes on East Carolina at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. The Knights took two of three from the Pirates to open C-USA play in March and will have RHP Ben Lively going for his ninth win of 2012.