May 5, 2007
Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
Memphis 7, UCF 3
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UCF (23-25; 5-12 C-USA) 001 010 010 - 3 10 1
Memphis (28-18; 10-7 C-USA) 000 004 30X - 7 9 0
It took four innings to get a hit and 5.1 innings to score, but when it got going, the Tiger offense took over the contest by scoring four runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to even the Conference USA series with UCF via a 7-3 come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium. Memphis starter Scott McGregor was solid, scattering nine hits and fanning six in seven innings to pick up his fifth win of the year.
The win marked the first time since the 2005 season that Memphis has won a series game after losing Friday night. The previous four times the Tigers lost the series opener the series resulted in Tiger sweeps to Troy, Rice and Houston in 2005, and ECU this year. It also snapped the Golden Kinghts' four-game C-USA win streak.
The Tiger offense looked sluggish early on, as just two hitter reached base through the four innings of play. Bill Miss reached after being hit by a pitch in the opening inning and Michael Murray drew a walk to represent the lone to baserunners for Memphis.
UCF starter Kyle Sweat kept Memphis off balance and faced just one batter over the minimum through four frames. The right-hander induced seven flyball outs and struck out four in the first four innings.
While Sweat was shutting the Tiger offense down, McGregor did his part to keep Memphis in the game. The Tiger sophomore allowed just an RBI-single by Dwayne Bailey in the third, and another run-scoring single by Kiko Vazquez to contain the Golden Knights within striking distance.
Adam Amar broke up Sweat's no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the fifth and McGregor got the offensive support he was waiting on in the sixth as Memphis surged ahead with an explosive four-run output. K.K. Chalmers ignited the inning with a leadoff single up the middle. He moved to second on a groundball out by Murray before Bill Moss ripped an RBI-single inside the leftfield line to score Chalmers and get Memphis on the board. Amar then blasted a double off the left centerfield wall. The ball caromed off the wall and back toward the infield, allowing Moss to score easily from first and knot the contest at 2-2. With two outs and Amar on second base, senior DH Joey Lieberman provided the fireworks as he launched a towering homerun over the leftfield wall to give Memphis its first lead of the game at 4-2. Lieberman's homer was his team-leading 12th of the year and 25th of his career at Memphis.
After getting a critical hold on defense, the Memphis offense poured on more run production in the seventh. Consecutive singles by Chris Kirkland and Chalmers, followed by a stolen by Chalmers put runners at second and third with just one out. Michael Murray then made it 6-2 when his double to glanced off the tip of UCF leftfielder Chadd Hartman's glove, to score Kirkland and Chalmers. Murray would score a batter later on an errant throw by the UCF infield for a 7-2 cushion.
UCF scored a run in the eighth on a sac fly for the 7-3 final.
Memphis was out-hit 9-10 in the tilt, but posted all nine hits from the fifth inning on. Chalmers and Amar had two hits each. Amar's sixth-inning RBI moved him to within one RBI of the program record of 170 set by Chris Marable. Murray and Lieberman drove in two runs.
Reliever Matt Yokley worked the eighth and ninth innings. He struck out one.
Memphis and UCF will play the rubber match of the series tomorrow at Noon. The game time has been changed to accommodate UCF's travel arrangements. Listen live as "The Voice of Tiger Baseball" Jeff Brightwell calls the play-by-play action.
