Following his 11-strikeout performance against Boston College a week ago, Ben Lively recorded his second win as starting pitcher for the UCF baseball team (8-2) in a 12-4 trouncing of the Siena Saints (1-8) in Game 1 of a three-game series at Jay Bergmann Field in Orlando, Fl.
The Knights dismantled the Siena pitching staff in another display of their top-to-bottom batting threat. The Knights currently lead Conference-USA in runs scored with 81 this season.
Nine Knights recorded hits and six recorded at least one RBI. D.J. Hicks had two hits, one long bomb, three RBI’s and was walked twice. James Vasquez and Nick Carrillo each had a two-hit night as well.
“I feel good, the team looks good, we’re hitting the pitches we need to hit,” Hicks said. “We still need to do a better job with a guy on second, less than two outs, or maybe on third and driving them in.”
The Knights put the pressure on early, scoring one in the first inning. Chris Taladay drove a sacrifice fly into deep right to score Darnell Sweeney, who reached base by earning a leadoff walk.
Backing up the run, Lively made his presence on the mound known by striking out two batters and beaning one in the hip. The next batter was promptly retired on an infield bouncer.
In the top of the fourth inning, after giving up a walk and a double, third baseman Taladay dropped a routine infield pop-up, loading the bases with one out. Lively struck out the next batter, and then walked Ken Kirshner to bring in the tying run. After surrendering the run, Lively struck out Ryan Metzler to get out of the inning.
Siena returned the favor when Nick Carrillo batted into a double-play opportunity, with two men on and no outs, and Siena first baseman Ken Kirshner threw the ball away, allowing James Vasquez to score.
Travis Shreve hit a two-run single to right field but was thrown out at second. He had reached first cleanly but assumed Siena would try to make a play at the plate, and he was gunned down by the cutoff man.
After four innings, UCF led 4-1.
James Vasquez added one more when Kirshner whiffed on a grounder hit right at him and outfielder Tyler Bell bobbled the ball. Ryan Breen was able to score all the way from first.
Freshman RHP Garrett Nuss started the sixth inning, relieving Lively, and retired three straight batters. Lively allowed one run on five innings, pitched and notched six strikeouts. Nuss faced nine batters, recording three strikeouts and allowing only one hit.
Leading 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Knights shredded the Siena pitchers for a six-run inning. Alex Friedrich and Nick Carillo each had an RBI, and Carrillo scored from second on a passed ball. The Saints used three different pitchers in the inning, the last getting the worst of it.
Taking the mound with two men already on, Matt Quintana faced Hicks. The slugger launched the first pitch he saw over the centerfield wall for a three-run homer.
After the inning, with a 12-1 lead, the UCF bench became very busy as seven players came in off the bench to see some action of their own.
“Garrett (Nuss) did a great job,” Coach Terry Rooney said of Nuss’s middle inning relief. ”I told Garrett yesterday that he’s going to get the opportunity to be that guy, and I thought he did a very nice job tonight.”
The series continues tomorrow at 4 p.m., at Jay Bergman Field for Game 2 of the trilogy.
