May 3, 2013
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Trailing 2-0 in the eighth inning, the No. 30 UCF baseball team managed to tie the game with a pair of late runs, but saw No. 8 Florida State plate two of its own in the bottom-half of the frame to take Game 1 in the series, 4-2.
Despite matching the Seminoles (36-9) with nine hits, the Knights (26-20) saw their six-game win streak come to an end.
Game 2 is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday, and can be seen online on ESPN3, and on your mobile device via WatchESPN. Marc Daniels will also be on the call on 740-AM The Game.
In his first Friday night start in nearly a month, RHP Ben Lively worked himself out of an early jam, stranding runners at the corners after a lead-off double and walk, but a three-pitch strikeout of Jose Brizuela brought the first inning to a close.
In the second, Lively would not be able to make it out unscathed with a pair on the corners as a double steal attempt saw catcher Chris Taladay (1-for-4) throw out the runner going to second, but the toss back home by Bret Gordon (1-for-4) was not in time as a hard slide scored Jameis Winston for a 1-0 lead.
FSU struck again with two outs in the third as Brizuela put an 0-1 pitch into right-center to push the lead to 2-0. Lively would throw up zeros from then on, using a 1-2-3 fourth, facing the minimum in the fifth and getting a huge strikeout swinging, his seventh of the game, on a 3-2 pitch to strand a pair on in the sixth.
With his pitch count at 114, Lively's night would be done. He made it 12-for-12 on the year in terms of pitching six innings or more after scattering seven hits and surrendering two runs, four walks and striking out seven (210) to move past Craig Cozart (1993-96) for eighth on the all-time punchout list at UCF.
After stranding six runners through the first seven innings, UCF finally broke into the score column in the eighth after JoMarcos Woods (1-for-5, 1 R) got the frame started with an infield single off of the shortstop's glove. Taladay would walk prior to Parker Webster (1-for-4, 1 RBI) ripping an 0-1 pitch through the left side to score Woods. James Vasquez would load the bases after he was drilled in the back to bring up DH Erik Barber (1-for-3).
The Lakeland native displayed superb discipline at 2-2 in the count, taking a slider away and a fastball up to coax the bases-loaded walk from FSU closer Robby Coles to score Taladay and tie the game at 2-all.
With UCF stranding the bases loaded to end the frame, the Seminoles took advantage as lead-off batter Stephen McGee sent a 2-1 pitch deep to left field and over the wall and outstretched arm of Webster to take a 3-2 lead. FSU would tack on one more, laying down a successful sacrifice bunt to score the runner from third for a 4-2 advantage.
Coles, in his second inning of work, would get a pair of outs before Erik Hempe singled to left field for his second hit of the night. UCF would not be able to extend the game any further as a strikeout ended the contest and saw the Knights strand their 10th runner of the evening.
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.