ORLANDO – Ben Lively pitched seven innings to hold the lead but the Knights did not come out victorious at home against the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 4-1 on Thursday night, March 28 at Jay Bergman Field.
Lively pitched up to the seventh inning until he got hit by a line drive in the lower leg area and the Knights lost the lead after that. Lively status is unknown said UCF head coach Terry Rooney. Lively ended the game with four strikeouts.
The Knights lose their three game winning streak against Southern Mississippi. Both teams went at it hard but in the end Southern Mississippi ended winning. This lost places them in a tie for second place in the Conference USA standings with Rice University and third in overall standings.
UCF head coach Terry Rooney was upset on tonight’s lost but gave lots of props to his starting pitcher Ben Lively and his performance in the start.
“Our team needs to show more of the same competitiveness and fire that Ben Lively pitches with if we figure that out then we will be ok,” said Rooney.
Southern Mississippi pitcher Jake Drehoff made it hard for the Knights to score throughout the whole game. Drehoff had eight innings pitched with six strikeouts.
The Knights went out aggressively in the first inning when JoMarcos Woods hit it to the shortstop and reaching by an error to first base and starting the rally in the first. Taladay hits a double scoring in Woods and giving the lead for the Knights. Chris Taladay went 1-2 in tonights game.
The Golden Eagles had a scoreless inning until the 4th when Knights second baseman Austin Johnston overthrows to first baseman James Vasquez and the Golden Eagles first baseman Tim Lynch scores in the tying run. Making it 1-1 after the fourth inning.
The Knights lost the lead by the eighth inning when Lively gets a line drive shot in the lower leg area from Golden Eagles second baseman Issac Rodriguez. That hit started off the rally for the Golden Eagles. Then Mason Robbins hits a single moving Rodriguez into 3rd and placing runners in the corners for the Eagles.
After moving runners in the corners, Lively leaves the game in the 8th with 7.1 innings pitched for the Knights. Zac Farve went in for relief for that inning.
Golden Eagle first baseman Tim lynch hits a bouncer to Farve that would be bobbled letting Lynch reach on to first base from an error from Farve and scoring in Rodriguez in the eighth inning. That error gave a 2-1 lead for the Golden Eagles.
By the ninth inning the Golden Eagles took advantage. The Knights didn’t have any control with their pitching when Farve walked shortstop Travis Creel and then Farve throws a wild pitch moving creel to second and after walking Golden Eagles Left Fielder Connor Barron and then walking Rodriguez.
With the bases loaded UCF switched pitcher putting in reliever Jimmy Reed. Farve left the game with 1.1 innings pitched and two strikeouts in the game.
Reed starts off the inning walking two batters straight giving the Southern Miss a 4-1 lead.
In the same inning Reed got replaced by Knights pitcher Danny Davis which got out of the inning for the Knights.
The Knights had a chance but were hopeless with the pitching by the Golden Eagles reliever Jay Myrick who had a save in tonights game against the Knights.
The Knights play at home at Jay Bergman field tomorrow Friday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. against the Golden Eagles for game two of the series.
