Despite Adkins’ solid outing, ECU prevails

On Sunday, the Knights baseball team lost their second game of the three-game series against ECU 5-3.

The Knights (22-14, 4-8) dropped to an early 5-0 hole and never overcame the deficit.

"I think everybody is frustrated," said Knights head coach Terry Rooney. "We are not where we want to be in this conference. We have high expectations. This season is long, we have to just go out there and keep competing."

After making 13-straight relief appearances, Nick Cicio made his first start for the Knights this season. Cicio struggled early in the game giving up three runs in the third inning and five overall. The southpaw pitched 2.1 innings, struck out three and allowed five runs on seven hits.

Matt Collins came into relieve Cicio, only pitching 2/3 innings.

Danny Winkler pitched the rest of the game and made a strong case to get back into the weekend pitching rotation. Winkler pitched five scoreless innings, struck out six, and allowed four hits.

"There is a good chance Winkler could be in the weekend rotation," said Rooney.

ECU's (24-12, 6-6) starting pitcher Kevin Brandt pitched a strong game for the win. The southpaw tossed eight innings, struck out five, and allowed three runs on eight hits. At one point in the game, Brandt retired 10 consecutive UCF batters.

The Knights offense was out-hit by the Pirates 11-9. Darnell Sweeney and D.J. Hicks accounted for six of those hits. Sweeney finished the day 3-for-4 with an RBI, and scored two runs. Hicks went 3-for-5 and knocked in an RBI.

After the offense scored two early runs, the team didn't post another run until the seventh inning, when Hicks knocked in Sweeney, making the game 5-3. The run was the last the team would score.

The Knights had never won at ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium before Saturday when Brian Adkins' seven innings of two-run ball and Jonathan Griffin's solo shot powered the Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Pirates.

Adkins matched his career-high innings pitched and improved to 5-2 on the season. It's the first time since 2005 that at least two Knights have posted five or more wins in the same season (the other being Ben Lively, 5-1).

Rogers entered the game in the eighth after Adkins gave up a lead-off single and struck out three batters in two innings.

The score remained tied until the fourth inning when Griffin smashed his ninth home run of the season over the left field wall. Griffin, who had the opportunity to homer in five-straight games on Friday fell short.

The single that Adkins gave up to start the eighth inning came around to score but fellow left-hander Rogers came in, gave up three singles, struck out one and got the Knights out of a bases-loaded jam.

Rogers went on to face only three batters in the bottom of the ninth and earn his sixth save of the season.

The Knights lost their first game of the three-game series Friday night. The Knights were down early in the game and could never erase an early 10-1 deficit, losing 12-6.

Knights starting pitcher Ben Lively had his shortest outing of the season and his young career, pitching only two innings.  Lively gave up eight runs on five hits, and only struck out one.

Bryan Brown relieved Lively in the third inning. Brown pitched 4-2/3 innings, giving up three runs, on seven hits, and struck out three.

The Knights offense showed life in the top of the seventh inning. The team scored three two-out runs on four hits. Beau Taylor, in his first-career game batting from the No. 9 spot, drove in two runners with a double. Taylor scored off of Darnell Sweeney's single.

Taylor and Sweeney both had solid nights at the plate. Taylor was 2-for-3 in the game, hitting two doubles, knocking in three RBIs, and scoring two runs. Sweeney had two hits and drove in two RBIs.