May 9, 2015
Final Stats
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Nate Blythe
UCFKnights.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF rallied to cut the Memphis lead to one on four occasions, but the Knights were unable to tie the contest in a 6-5 loss on Saturday at the UCF Baseball Complex. Senior left fielder JoMarcos Woods registered two hits and drove in two runs, while homers were blasted by senior second baseman Tommy Williams and sophomore designated hitter Matt Diorio.
The Knights (29-22, 8-12 The American) recognized their 13 seniors - Erik Barber, Spencer Davis, Joe Marotta, Ryan Meyer, Dylan Moore, Tanner Olson, Zach Rodgers, Derrick Salberg, Jordan Savinon, Parker Thomas, James Vasquez, Williams and Woods - in a ceremony prior to the first pitch. A full photo gallery can be viewed at the bottom of the page.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Cre Finfrock, who yielded three runs in the first, settled down and provided the Knights with four strikeouts in eight-plus innings of work. The finale two frames were logged by senior lefty Harrison Hukari.
Multi-hit games were registered by Diorio, Salberg, Savinon and Woods.
After Memphis (33-16, 11-9 The American) opened with a three-run first inning, the Knights responded with single runs in the next two frames. An RBI ground out by Vasquez pushed the first run across, while Woods connected on a sac fly.
A fielding miscue led to the Tigers taking a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. The Knights responded with a pair of double recorded by Diorio and Woods, 4-3.
Following a solo shot by Carter White for Memphis in the sixth inning, Diorio answered with a homer to right, cutting the deficit to 5-4.
A rally was started in the next frame with back-to-back leadoff singles by Moore and Salberg, but a double play ended the opportunity to knot the contest.
The Tigers manufactured a run following a leadoff walk to extend their advantage to 6-4. Once again, UCF had an answer as Williams delivered his sixth round tripper of the season to left center.
The Knights continued the rally with a walk drawn by Diorio, who took second on a sac bunt. A single through the left side by Woods put runners on the corners, but a ground ball back to the pitcher turned into a double play, ending the threat.
The victory was notched by Dylan Toscano (8-1), who went 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts, while Nolan Blackwood recorded his 13th save with two solid frames. Tucker Tubes posted two hits and drove in two to lead the offense.
The series will come down to Championship Sunday as the decisive game is set to start at 11 a.m. Sophomore Robby Howell is set to take on the Tigers' Connor Alexander. Single-game tickets for the 2015 baseball season are currently on sale by clicking here or calling 407-823-1000.
UCF BASEB Senior Day - Images by UCF Knights