University of Houston
UCF
Baseball Takes Game Two, 6-3, Over UCF
5/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2009
Orlando, Fla. -- The University of Houston baseball team rebounded from their loss to UCF on Thursday to win the second game of the series 6-3 on Friday night at Jay Bergman Field.
Wes Musick earned the win going 5.2 innings, giving up three runs with two strikeouts. Chase Dempsay came in relief to pitch three shutout innings with three strikeouts and Donnie Joseph earned the save striking out the final batter of the game.
Houston started Friday's contest in opposite fashion of the series opener. The Cougars, with one out, walked two consecutive batters in Zak Presley and Caleb Ramsey. With Chase Dempsay at the plate, Presley scored on a failed pickoff attempt at third base and Ramsey scored on a wild pitch with William Kankel at the plate.
Musick added to the Cougars' success by retiring the first six Knight batters of the game. In addition, UCF did not record a hit until Brandon Romans singled to right field in the fourth inning.
Houston added a third run in the fifth inning, scoring Jake Runte on a Zak Presley single up the middle. UCF then cut the Cougars' three-run lead to one in the home half of the inning when Jake Huxtable hit a two-run home run over the left field fence.
The sixth inning continued the scoring trend for UH. They notched three runs to extend their lead to three, 6-3. Ramsey led off with a walk, while the next two batters struck out. Chris Wallace walked the second Cougar batter and David Murphy reached on an error by the UCF third baseman to load the bases. Runte followed that up with a double to left center, his fourth of the season, to score Ramsey and Wallace. Houston then added their final run of the game when David Murphy scored off a Taylor White bunt single.
With the Houston's win over UCF, the Cougars have now clinched the No. 3 seed in the 2009 Conference USA Championship to be held next week in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Cougars are the only league team to have clinched their seed to the annual tournament with one game left in the regular season. Earning the No. 3 seed in the tournament is the highest seed since the Cougars were seeded second in 2006 and it is also the team's first three seed in the tournament.
LOOKING AHEAD
Houston will play their regular season finale on Saturday at 12:15. Following the regular season finale, the Cougars will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for the 2009 Conference USA Championship. Seeding for the tournament will be announced on Saturday at the conclusion of all the day's games.
