March 11, 2015
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By Nate Blythe
UCFKnights.com
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Freshman catcher Logan Heiser came to the plate in the seventh inning, needing a single for the cycle, instead he blasted his second homer of the game for No. 6 UCF in a 15-11 loss at No. 11 Florida State Wednesday. The round tripper put the Knights up 11-8 before the Seminoles answered with seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the frame.
"I felt great today. It all started with batting practice. I was swinging it and seeing the ball really well," Heiser said. "I was making solid contact with almost every single swing. In the game, the ball continued to look really big. I was able to square them up and they were able to fly out of the park."
Heiser finished 4-for-5 with a two-run double in the first, two-run homer in the fourth, lead-off triple in the fifth and solo homer in the seventh inning.
Two hits each were recorded by senior shortstop Dylan Moore and first baseman James Vasquez as UCF (14-4) pounded out 12 hits against FSU (15-3). Moore also drove in a pair of runs on his fourth homer of the season, which pulled the Knights into a tie at 7-7 in the fourth inning.
In that frame, UCF tallied five runs on five hits and registered two-run shots by Heiser and Moore to retake the lead, 8-7. Senior third baseman Tommy Williams extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a base knock in the inning.
"We swung the bats tremendously, battled back and came from behind," head coach Terry Rooney said. "The bottom line in these two games is that we have to pitch better. Give credit Florida State, which is a tremendous team and took advantage of the mistakes we made. That is what makes them a great team."
After UCF took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, FSU's Quincy Nieporte delivered a three-run homer to knot the contest and put the Seminoles on top 7-3 in the next frame with a grand slam.
The fifth inning saw Heiser lead off with a triple down the left field line. The Jupiter, Fla., native scored on a double down the right field line by senior left fielder JoMarcos Woods. An RBI fielder's choice off the bat of senior center fielder Derrick Salberg put the Knights up, 10-7.
The Seminoles cut that lead to 10-8 on a sacrifice fly after two walks and a single loaded the bases, but senior right-hand pitcher Zach Rodgers was able to work out of the jam and keep the Knights on top.
After the Heiser homer put UCF up 11-8, Florida State registered three-straight singles to load the bases and ended up taking control of the game by putting a seven spot up on the scoreboard. The loss was tagged to senior Trent Thompson (0-2), who yielded six hits of the seven hits in the frame.
Junior Harrison Hukari started for the Knights and went 2.1 innings before Rodgers brought the Knights through six innings. Freshman Brad Rowley finished the contest with a perfect eighth inning.
The final five frames for the Seminoles were tossed by Alex Deise (5-0), who earned the win and struck out six. Nieporte recorded a 4-for-4 performance with seven RBI and three runs scored.
Notes
-Heiser recorded career-highs in hits (4), triples (1), homers (2), RBI (5) and runs scored (3).
-The five runs driven in by Heiser was the third time a Knight accomplished the feat this year. Moore was responsible for the two previous occasions.
-Moore and Heiser are tied for the team lead in homers with four.
-Williams extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
UCF welcomes Fairfield for a weekend series with the first pitch on Friday set for 6:30 p.m. The middle game begins on Saturday at 4 p.m., while the finale starts at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Single-game tickets for the 2015 baseball season are currently on sale by clicking here or calling 407-823-1000.