April 11, 2008
Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. -
UCF 10, Memphis 6 
Memphis (12-20; 3-7 C-USA) 010 012 002 - 6 12 3
UCF (25-11; 3-7 C-USA) 403 002 01x - 10 17 0
UCF raced out to a six-run lead through three innings and banged out 17 hits en route to a dominating 10-6 win over Memphis in the Conference USA series opener on Friday evening at UCF's Jay Bergman Field. The Tigers fall to 12-20 overall and 3-7 in C-USA action. The Knights improve to 25-11, 3-7 in league play.
UCF jumped on Tiger starter Scott McGregor from the first batter. The Knight's leadoff hitter Dwayne Bailey doubled to the leftfield corner and moved to third on an error by Tyler Huelsing. That play ignited a four-run first inning outburst for UCF. The Knights sent 10 batters to the plate and banged out five hits in the opening frame. Colin Arnold followed with an infield single and moved to third on a stolen base and a passed ball. After Robert Lara walked, a bunt by Eric Kallstrom pushed Arnold home for a 2-0 lead. RBI-singles by Chris Duffy and Tyson Auer made it 4-0 for the Knights.
Memphis fought back, but was never really able to recover from the early deficit. The Tigers got on the board with a second-inning run on a double by Eric Farrell. Cole Shelton and Robby Graham knocked a pair of hits into leftfield, before Farrell came through with the run-scoring hit--a double tucked just inside the third base line.
A three-spot in the third by the Knights put the game out of reach, 7-1. Evan Stobbs and Auer reach on consecutive infield singles to third. McGregor fielded a sacrifice bunt by Josh Siebenaler, but then launched the throw to first out of the field of play, allowing Stobbs to score and giving each runner an extra base. A sac fly to rightfield by Bailey brought Auer in and Ryan Richardson's single up the middle scored Siebenaler to cap the scoring at 7-1 through three innings of play.
Chad Zurcher started a two-out rally for the Tigers in the fifth with a walk and Brett Bowen lined a single to center. An RBI-single by Trey Wiedman made it 7-2, and Memphis had a golden opportunity to cut deeper into the UCF lead, but Knights starter Kyle Sweat was able to escape a bases loaded two-out situation.
The Tigers continued to chip away the UCF lead with a run in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth for a 7-4 ballgame. Zurcher reached on a two-out walk and Bowen and Wiedman followed with base hits. Wiedman's single through the right side, just out of the reach of a diving Bailey at second, brought Zurcher around in the fifth. Graham, who led the Memphis offense with three hits, led off the sixth with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. A flared single by Farrell put runners on first and third for K.K. Chalmers. Chalmers brought Graham in with his lone hit of the night--a single to right centerfield. Farrell later scored on a ground out by Zurcher.
Just as Memphis cut the lead to just three runs, UCF answered back with two runs of their own to push its advantage back out to five runs at 9-4. Stobbs, who finished the night as the Knights' offensive star, crushed a two-run double over Graham's head in rightfield. Stobbs went 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run.
The Knights tacked on a run in the eighth, before Memphis made its final push in the ninth. Bowen singled through the left side and moved to second on a wild pitch by UCF reliever Austin Hudson. The Tigers staged a two-out rally to score a pair of runs on a single to right by Shelton and another base hit up the middle off the bat of Graham for the 10-6 final.
Stobbs got help from teammate Kallstrom, who also had four hits and added three runs. Bailey and Auer had two hits each. Eight of the nine starters for UCF hit safely. Memphis got two hits from Bowen, Shelton and Farrell.
Sweat earned the win after giving up four runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out five and exited the contest with a comfortable cushion. Hudson was awarded the save after giving up two runs and fanning four in 3.2 innings. Scott McGregor had a rough outing. He gave up eight runs on 11 hits in five innings. He was relieved by Garrett Hachtel, who finished the tilt out and allowed two runs. McGregor falls to 1-4 on the year after the Tigers' seventh straight C-USA setback.
Tied in the league standings, both teams will resume the C-USA series on Saturday, with one team claiming sole possession of the seventh spot. First pitch set for 6 p.m. EST (5 p.m. CST) at Jay Bergman Field. Listen to "The Voice" of Tiger Baseball, Jeff Brightwell as he brings live play-by-play action on 91.7FM. The pre-game broadcast will begin at 5:45 p.m. EST (4:45 p.m. CST).
