Clearwater, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF Baseball team bounced back in a big way Thursday, after suffering a first round defeat in the American Athletic Conference tournament two days earlier. The Knights took down Tulane 8-3 at Spectrum Field, knocking the Green Wave home out of the tournament with its second loss.
"I was proud of the guys that were here today," UCF head coach Greg Lovelady told Marc Daniels after the game. "They brought the energy, we pitched and played a lot better defense. When you do that, you give yourself a chance to win."
The American's Pitcher of the Year, senior Robby Howell was unhittable through his first five and one third innings and earned his 10th win of the season for the Knights. Howell threw 8.0 total innings giving up three runs on just five hits while striking out 10 Tulane hitters.
Howell is the second Knights hurler to win 10 games in 2017, after freshman Joe Sheridan achieved the mark and sealed The American's regular-season title when UCF beat rival South Florida in the final game of the regular-season campaign. The Black and Gold are currently the only team in the nation with two 10-game winners.
The last time a pair of Knights accomplished this feat was back in 2001, when Justin Pope had 15 wins and Jason Arnold notched 14. UCF would capture both the ASUN's regular season and tournament championships that year, the first sweep of conference titles in program history.
Howell had help from his friends, as early in the game UCF jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a big third inning. It started when designated hitter Ryan Crile led off with a base hit and moved to second on a passed ball to next hitter. Catcher Logan Hesier then added a single to right field, bringing Crile around to score the game's first run.
Next, with one out and Heiser having stolen second, right fielder Eli Putnam took an 0-2 pitch deep to left field, dropping it on the roof of the Frenchy's tiki hut for his eighth home run of the season. Not to be outdone, left fielder Kyle Marsh matched Putnam's bomb with a blast of his own. The solo shot with two outs was also delivered deep to left and was his sixth of the year, giving the Knights a 4-0 lead.
Not taking anything for granted, UCF would double the score in the sixth inning with another four-run frame. The Knights four runs came on three hits and two errors and it was Marsh who came up clutch in the inning. With the bases full and nobody out, Tulane managed to retire the next two batters while holding the runners at bay. But then Marsh stepped up and ripped a single to center field, driving in a pair of runs and making the score 8-0.
Tulane would get on the board with a solo home run in the sixth, followed by a walk and a two out double that cut the lead to six. The Green Wave would add another solo shot in the eighth but would be unable to string together a comeback.
The Knights move on to play the loser of Thursday's match between South Florida and East Carolina in another elimination game on Friday May 26 at 3 p.m. The game will once again stream on the American Digital Network and fans can also listen in with Marc Daniels on FM 96.9 The Game, or follow along via live stats.
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