UCF baseball update: Golden Knights upset #17 Florida, 6-2

CUSA Fans UCF sports correspondent Ryan Westin provides us with an update on the 2007 UCF baseball team.

UCF upset No. 17 Florida in Gainesville Tuesday night after a near perfect performance by UCF starter Kyle Sweat. In a game that featured constant rain & drizzle, the Golden Knights defeated UF 6-2. The Gators were heavily favored coming into the game after beating No. 1 Florida State a week ago by a score of 16-7. With the win, the Knights now improve to 18-19 on the year and will have this weekend off before heading back to Tampa to play rival USF next Tuesday.

Apopka native Kyle Sweat put in the best performance of his career as he held the No. 17 Gators to just 2 hits and shutout Florida during his 8 innings from the mound. With this fantastic performance, UCF head coach Jay Bergman will have some rotation decisions to make as Sweat sent his coach a message that he is ready to step up in the rotation. Sweat seemed to be getting better and better as the night wore on as he did not allow any of the last 10 batters to reach base. Sweat, a sophomore, picked up his 3 rd win of the season and improves to 3-.2 on the season.

Dwayne Bailey went 3 for 4 in the victory over #17 Florida. Bailey knocked in a run, scored a run and stole a base against the Gators Tuesday night.

The Knights were able to load the bases in the third inning with one out after Shane Brown reached with his second infield single of the game. Tyson Auer stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered. Second baseman Avery Barnes tried to grab Auer's hit that went to the right of second base, but as Barnes tried to step on the base and catch the ball to turn a double play, he slipped on the base and the ball went into center field allowing two runs to score for UCF.  Kiko Vazquez was next to bat and drove a hit to left field over the third baseman bringing in Shane Brown to put the Knights on top 3 -0.  Florida's starting pitcher would then be relieved and the Gators were able to find the double play they were looking for to end the inning.

Florida was able to pick up their first hit in the game in the bottom of the third off of a double to center field by Matt Den Dekker, but the runner was left stranded after Sweat struck out the next Gator and Jon Townsend grounded out to end the inning. UCF went down one, two, three in the top of the fourth as the inning was highlighted by a diving catch down the left field line by left fielder Austin Pride to rob UCF's Chadd Hartman.

Sweat would allow slugger Matt Laporta (15 home runs on this season) to get on base in the bottom of the fourth and got behind in the count when Figueroa came to the plate. Figueroa sent a laser to Vazquez at first who threw to second and then back to first for the double play to end the inning. The Knights went right back to where they left off in third inning by loading the bases again after Kyle Mullaney walked one and hit another UCF batter. The Knights were unable to capitalize with the bases loaded and two outs as the UCF pinch hitter flied out to center to end the threat at increasing their advantage.

The Gators mounted a threat of their own in the bottom of the fifth when runners advanced to second and third after a pitch by Sweat sailed high into the back stop. The passed ball made it a full count with pinch hitter Cody Neer at the plate. Sweat's next pitch was low, but Neer swung and missed to end the inning and hold the Gators scoreless.

Tyson Auer gave the Knights the lead with a 2-run single in the third inning. Auer was able extend his hitting streak to 12 games and later picked up his 17th stolen base of the season.

In the top of the sixth, Chad Hartman's bunt put runners at second and third for the Knights with just one out. Dwayne Bailey would pick up his third hit of the game when Laporta was unable to handle a ground ball that went into right field, allowing UCF to put another run on the board leaving runners at the corners and one out. Florida called up Josh Edmondson to the mound who would stop the bleeding, but not before Matt Horwath grounded out to short to knock in another run for UCF and push the score to a 5-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.

UCF would add another run in the ninth off an error at first, but the Gators would make it interesting when Sweat was relieved on the mound. Florida started the inning with a double off the left field wall that Hartman seemed to lose sight of in the rain. The Gators would then get on the board with back to back hits by Laporta and Figueroa to drive in two runs. Justin Weiss would walk the next batter to bring the tying run to the plate. Weiss came through in the clutch striking out Jared Kubin, and then forced Den Dekker to pop out to Weiss on the right field foul line where he was met by the UCF bench to celebrate the upset.

Stop That Theif
UCF was able to steal a total of four bases in the game; their only meeting with the Gators this season. All four steals came from four different Knights (Auer, Ryan Richardson, Bailey and Kyle Mills).

It's a Small World
UCF head coach Jay Bergman was the head coach at Florida in the late 70's and early 80's. Bergman recruited current Florida head coach Pat McMahon to play at Florida when McMahon played at Seminole Community College, which is about three miles from the UCF campus.

Remember When...
The Knights last victory over Florida in Gainesville came eight years ago when Bergman's Knights pulled out a clutch 8-7 win over the Gators.

Who's Next?
UCF will have the weekend off from conference play as they will host a golf tournament on Saturday and an alumni game on Sunday. The Knights return to the field a week from tonight in Tampa as they continue their five game road trip at USF. The Knights will then head out to Houston to play No. 12 Rice.