Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UCF
Five-Run Fourth Pushes Baseball Past UCF, 7-2
4/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2010
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University baseball team moved its Conference USA record over the .500 mark by claiming a 7-2 victory against UCF on Friday morning at Appalachian Power Park. The Thundering Herd is now 18-20 overall and 7-6 in league play.
Ben Jurevicius went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI out of the nine-hole in the Herd batting order. Fellow outfielder Kurt Lipton added two hits and two RBI, while Josh Valle launched his second homer of the season to lead the charge.
UCF (26-15, 6-7 C-USA) received a pair of solo homers from outfielder Shane Brown.
Ian Kadish (2-3) put himself in a bind in the top of the second against the visitors. MU already trailed 1-0 after Brown hit a leadoff homer to left-center to start the ball game. Kadish walked the bases loaded with one down, but received an inning ending double play from the tandem of Kirby Pellant and Kenny Socorro to keep the game within one run.
The turning of two, which helped escape the early jam, sent emotions over to the Herd hitters in the bottom of the frame. Nathan Gomez started the two-run spurt by doubling to dead centerfield on the 11th pitch of the at bat. Thor Meeks smacked a single to left and Isaac Ballou walked to load the bases for Jurevicius. The junior had not tallied a RBI all season, until he slapped a base hit to center plating two runs, giving the Herd the lead.
Valle led off the fourth with a solo bomb to right field, to help fume a Herd offense that erupted for five runs in the inning. Lipton lined a two-out two-run single off reliever Brian Adkins, who had just entered for UCF starter Owen Dew (5-2), as MU held a 7-1 cushion heading to the fifth.
The UCF offense had plenty of opportunities to put some runs on the board through the first five innings against Kadish, but the right-hander quieted the Knights when times were tough. UCF stranded nine base runners against the Cincinnati, Ohio, native, as he worked 5.2 innings. The junior only allowed one earned run on four hits, while fanning a trio of Knights.
UCF stranded a total of 16 runners on base, which included two in every inning but the second, eighth and ninth.
The MU bullpen did a solid in job in relief of Kadish, allowing only a solo homer to Brown over the final 3.1 innings. Kyle Blank, James White III, Ben Frith and Tyler Gatrell all saw action out of the pen. Blank, White and Gatrell now all have 20-or-more appearances on the season.
Game two has been bumped up from its original time, with first pitch now slated for 1 p.m.
