March 22, 2015
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By Nate Blythe
UCFKnights.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF offense scored nine times in the first two innings on its way to an 18-4 victory on Championship Sunday against Presbyterian to clinch the series. A 2-for-3 performance with three RBI was registered by freshman designated hitter Kyle Marsh.
Freshman righty Eric Hepple had a no-hit bid broken up by Presbyterian with one out in the sixth inning. The Coral Spring, Fla., native went 5 2/3 innings with two strikeouts to improve to 3-1 on the campaign. The Knights also saw senior Spencer Davis, Trent Thompson and Ryan Meyer on the hill.
"[Eric] Hepple did a great job for us, because we needed somebody to rise up," head coach Terry Rooney said. "Our guys are always willing to step up for each other.
"Brooks Morgan had a fantastic weekend, starting three-consecutive games, and brought us tremendous energy."
Post by UCF Baseball.
Second baseman Morgan recorded a two-run double in the first and finished the series with five hits and four RBI. Two-run homers to right field were delivered by sophomore left fielder Matt Diorio and Eugene Vazquez.
In the ninth inning, a young fan was hit by a foul ball on the berm down the right field line. The contest was halted for 21 minutes and during that time Presbyterian and UCF came together as a group to pray. The young fan, Everett, was checked out by the paramedics and walked away.
"It was a very scary and unfortunate incident. We all went down there and it looks like he is going to be okay," Rooney said. "What a strong, tough and brave guy. Thanks goes out to our support staff for handling the situation quickly."
The Knights wish the young fan a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back out at the ballpark soon.
Senior first baseman James Vasquez, right fielder Erik Barber and Diroio each recorded two-hit and two-RBI games for the Knights. Two runs were also driven in by senior shortstop Dylan Moore.
A pair of lead-off walks started the first inning, the Knights capitalized on the opportunity, scoring seven times on five hits. Vasquez doubled into the left-center gap to put UCF on the board, 2-0.
The Knights extended the advantage to 3-0 on a single up the middle by Barber. A base hit through the right side from Diorio put runners on the corner before freshman catcher Logan Heiser notched a run-scoring single to left.
Coming through with a clutch two-run double to left center was Morgan. The scoring was capped by an RBI groundout from Moore, 7-0.
After an one-out single down the right field line by Vasquez in the second inning, Diorio connected on a two-run shot into the Knights' bullpen in right, 9-0. It was the second round tripper of the campaign for the Staten Island, N.Y., native.
UCF tacked on its 10th run of the contest in the fourth inning on a single by Barber through the left side, scoring Marsh, who led off with a single up the middle.
In the fifth frame, Morgan drew a lead-off walk and scored on senior center fielder JoMarcos Woods' double down the right field line, 12-0.
Presbyterian broke up the shutout bid with two runs on three hits in the sixth inning. The Knights responded with four runs in the bottom-half, including a three-run double by Marsh, 15-2.
A two-run homer to right was registered by Vazquez in the eighth inning. After junior Sam Bates recorded his first hit as a Knight, sophomore Kam Gellinger drove in a run later in the frame with a single up the middle to complete the scoring, 18-3
The Blue Hose were led by Jay Lizanich, Cam McRae and Brandon Martin, who each drove in a run and notched a hit. The loss was tagged to Aaron Lesiak (2-1).
The Knights travel to Jacksonville on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. start against the Dolphins.
UCF opens play in the American Athletic Conference by hosting preseason-favorite No. 24 Houston on March 27-30. The first pitches of the series are set for 6:30 p.m. March 27, 4 p.m. March 28 and 1 p.m. March 30.
Single-game tickets for the 2015 baseball season are currently on sale by clicking here or calling 407-823-1000.