April 19, 2013
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Despite erasing a 4-0 deficit with four runs on two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the UCF baseball team fell in extra innings, 5-4, to Marshall in game one of the series. The contest was played in front of the 18th-largest crowd all-time at the UCF baseball complex with 1,880 fans in attendance.
Freshman RHP Zac Favre was saddled with his first-career loss in the game while the Knights (20-19, 6-7) were out hit by the Thundering Herd (14-22, 4-6), 12-8.
On Saturday, the Knights UCF will look to even up the series with junior RHP Ben Lively (5-3) taking the mound. The Knights will don their camo jerseys and pay tribute to all active and retired military personnel on Military Appreciation Day with a 4 p.m. first pitch. The first 250 military personnel in attendance will receive a free T-shirt, while also gaining free admission after presenting ID at the gameday ticket booth.
After Marshall struck first, taking advantage of a lead-off double by Issac Ballou, who eventually scored, the Knights saw catcher Chris Taladay (2-for-3, 2 RBI) extend his hit streak to 17 games with a single through the right side to give him career base-knock No. 251 in the bottom of the second.
The Thundering Herd would tack on another run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to make it 4-0, while UCF had its chances to drive runners home, stranding Knights on the base paths in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.
Starting LHP Chris Matulis finished his night of work after going seven innings, allowing nine hits, three earned runs, two walks and seven strikeouts. He worked in and out of trouble and helped the Knights strand 12 base runners on the evening.
In the seventh, the Knights finally broke through with four runs on three hits and an error, all with two outs.
Shortstop Tommy Williams (1-for-4, 1 R) reached after a miscommunication in the outfield saw his ball drop cleanly in front of Ballou while JoMarcos Woods coaxed a four-pitch walk. Facing a 2-2 count, James Vasquez (1-for-5, 1 R) ripped a single through the right side that would score Williams and then Woods after an errant throw from right field to cut the deficit to two.
Taladay would step up to the dish following an Erik Hempe (1-for-4, 1 R) four-pitch walk and ripped a 1-1 pitch directly down the third-base line to score both Vasquez and Hempe with a stand-up triple, his first of the year and second of his career, to tie the game at 4-all. The three-bagger gave the Windermere native sole possession of seventh on the all-time UCF hit list, passing Shane Brown (2007-10).
After two-straight scoreless frames by RHPs Spencer Davis and Zac Favre saw the contest head to extra innings, Marshall took advantage of a two-out miscue in the infield in the 10th to drive in the winning run that was at third base after a one-out single and wild pitch moved Matt Kirkwood over.
Ten Voucher packages are now on sale for only $50. Select the games that you want to attend for a discounted price. Voucher packages and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000 or visit the baseball tickets page. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by visiting UCFAthletics.com and following the team on Twitter (@UCF_Baseball) and Facebook.