Feb. 20, 2015
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By Nate Blythe
UCFKnights.com
Stats: HTML | PDF - VIDEO: Arkansas Postgame
MOBILE, Ala. (UCFKnights.com) - No. 22 UCF improved to 5-0 on the season after posting a 9-5 victory over No. 15 Arkansas on Friday afternoon at Stanky Field in Mobile, Ala. The Knights finished with 13 hits and pushed across four runs on four base knocks in the eighth inning to take control of the contest after the Razorbacks cut the lead to 5-4.
"Today is the epitome of a team win," head coach Terry Rooney said. "Our guys hung in there the whole game. We went down early and Rodgers battled all the way through. There were a lot of different contributions from our players. I just thought overall from start to finish that it was a total team win."
Senior right fielder Eric Barber started the scoring for the Knights with a two-run homer to left in the third and came around to score on a single by sophomore designated hitter Matt Diorio, who finished 3-for-3. It was the first round tripper of the campaign for the Lakeland, Fla., native, who picked up two hits and scored three times for UCF (5-0).
Two-RBI performances were also provided by senior third baseman Tommy Williams and freshman second baseman Kyle Marsh. Marsh capped the rally in the eighth with a double just inside the line in left field. Senior outfielder JoMarcos Woods, who came in as a defensive replacement, started that rally and added another single up the middle in the ninth. Senior centerfield Derrick Salberg notched a two-run double down the right field line to push the Knights lead to 7-4 during the frame.
Notching his first win as a Knight was junior Harrison Hukari, who tossed 2.1 innings and fanned four. Senior Spencer Davis closed out the Razorbacks, going 2.2 frames to earn his second save of the campaign.
The Knights' starter Zach Rodgers went four-plus innings, yielding two runs and striking out three. The Glendale, Ariz., native battled through a number of deep counts against the Razorback hitters.
The UCF defense did not make a mistake and ended the contest in fine fashion on a double play turned by senior shortstop Dylan Moore on a ground ball to second.
Arkansas (3-0) struck for a run in the first and added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to pull within one at 5-4. The Razorbacks blasted a pair of solo homers by Andrew Benintendi and Joe Serrano. Starter Dominic Taccolini (1-1) was tagged with the loss after striking out six in four innings
Notes
-The Knights tallied at least 10 hits for the fourth-consecutive game.
-UCF picked up its first win of the year against a ranked opponent. The last time the Knights took down a ranked foe was at No. 4 Florida State, 8-3, on May 13 2014.
-The home run for Barber was his first of the year. It was also his third multi-hit and second multi-RBI game
-Hukari has tossed 5.2 innings and recorded 11 strikeouts.
-Williams notched his first two-RBI game of the season.
-Marsh has tallied a hit in each game, including a two-run double today and has totaled a team-high 10 RBI. He also drew three walks and upped his on-base pct., to .667.
The Knights battle No. 11 Maryland on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET with Cre Finfrock taking the mound against southpaw Tyler Stiles. UCF finishes the tournament against host South Alabama on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. An audio broadcast on UCFKnights.com for each game begins 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
After traveling to Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Knights return home on Feb. 27-Mar. 1 and welcome No. 18 Ole Miss to the UCF Baseball Complex. Be sure to purchase tickets ahead of time to guarantee a seat to watch this top-25 matchup.
Season and single-game tickets for the 2015 baseball season are currently on sale by clicking here or calling 407-823-1000. A general admission seat to all 32 homes games can be purchased for $75. There are also reserved and chairback seating at the UCF Baseball Complex.