East Carolina University
UCF
Pirates Drop Game One To UCF 3-2
March 28, 2008 | Baseball
March 28, 2008
ORLANDO, FLA. - Mitch Houck fanned nine East Carolina batters in six innings of work helping No. 19 UCF to a 3-2 win over the Pirates in the first game of a three-game Conference USA series at Jay Bergman Field.
Houck scattered four hits over the six innings and walked just two batters to improve to 3-0 on the season for the Knights (22-4, 2-2). Junior Justin Weiss notched his fourth save of the season allowing one hits in 1 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts, while Austin Hudson bridged the gap from Houck to Weiss working 1 2/3 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits with one punch out.
Senior T.J. Hose fell to 1-3 on the season for the Pirates (16-7, 1-2) after working five strong innings on the night. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Freshman Seth Simmons made his ninth appearance on the season coming into the game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and giving up one run, which was charged to Hose. Simmons faced two batters, throwing six pitches and allowing one hit. Josh Ruhlman made his 12th appearance out of the bull pen replacing Simmons in the fifth. He would work a scoreless 2 1/3 innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.
Offensively for the Pirates, Kyle Roller pounded out three singles recording his 16th career multi-hit game, while Ryan Wood went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
Chris Duffy and Ryan Richardson each collected two hits and scored a run for the Knights.
UCF pushed two runs across in the fourth to take an early 2-0 lead. Eric Kallstrom drove in the first run on a bloop single that was lost in the lights by the Pirate fielders to right field that scored Duffy from third. Duffy singled to short with two outs which was followed by a Richardson walk. Robert Lara pushed the second run across when he reached on a fielding error by Wood that plated Richardson.
The Pirates had a chance to score in the sixth inning when Roller laced a shot up the middle with two outs, but UCF got out of the inning when Tyson Auer threw Corey Kemp out at the plate to end the frame. Kemp drew a two out walk then moved to second when Brandon Henderson singled to left setting up Roller's at-bat.
UCF extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth. Shane Brown reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Duffy followed with a walk and Richardson advanced the runners on a bunt single to load the bases. Lara singled to right field for his lone RBI of the contest scoring Brown.
ECU finally got on the board in the eighth cutting into the Knights lead, 3-2. Wood started the frame with a single to right-center. Stephen Batts followed with a single to right field putting runners on the corners. Kemp grounded out to short pushing across Wood for the Pirates first run. Roller drove in the second run of the frame with his third hit of the game, a single up the middle that scored Batts.
The Pirates and Knights will play game two of the three game series Saturday night with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
