Championship Central
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CLEARWATER, Fla. –  Rightfielder Kyle Survance went 4-for-6 and scored four runs and all nine starters had at least one hit Houston took a 13-8 win against UCF Friday in the third day of pool play in the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at Bright House Field.
 
The win for No. 3-seeded Houston (43-15) moves the Cougars into a first-place tie with the No. 2-seeded Knights (36-23) in Pool B of the tournament as both teams completed pool play at 2-1. That means that Saturday’s game between No. 7-seeded UConn and No. 6-seeded Temple will decide which team – either Houston or UCF – would advance to Sunday’s championship game. If UConn beats Temple, then UConn joins Houston and UCF at 2-1, but UCF would advance by virtue of being the highest-seeded of the tied teams. If Temple wins, then Houston would advance thanks to the head-to-head win against UCF.
 
Friday’s game figured to be a battle between two of the conference’s top pitchers – UCF’s Eric Skoglund and Houston’s Aaron Garza. But it turned into a showcase for the respective lineups as Houston ripped a season-high 20 hits, while UCF had 11 hits and smacked four home runs.
 
First-baseman Casey Grayson went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, while designated hitter Justin Montemayor and second-baseman Josh Vidales both went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for Houston, which won for the 10th time in its last 12 games.
 
Houston got its first hitter on base in each of the first five innings as the Cougars built a 2-0 lead after three innings. The Knights got one back in the bottom of the fourth, but Houston exploded for a five-run fifth inning, capped by a two-run single by Montemayor, giving the Cougars a 7-1 lead.
 
UCF’s bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as Dylan Moore and Derrick Salberg led off with base hits and Erik Barber followed with a three-run home run. Tommy Williams delivered a solo shot three batters later to bring the Knights within two at 7-5.
 
Houston answered in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of four UCF errors to put four more runs on the board. Vidales got the rally started with an RBI single and Survance delivered the big blow when he stroked a two-run double to right-center, making it 10-5. Survance came on to score on a misplayed grounder to short to give the Knights an 11-5 lead.
 
Ashford Fulmer’s two-run single made it 13-5 in the top of the eighth, and the Knights made it interesting again on James Vasquez’ second home run of the night, a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth. But UCF would come no closer the rest of the way.
 
Garza picked up the win, improving to 8-4 after he worked five innings and allowed four runs and six hits with four strikeouts. Chase Wellbrock pitched the last three innings for Houston and earned his 12th save of the season.
 
Skoglund (9-3), the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, lasted just 4.1 innings and allowed a season-high seven runs in his shortest outing of the season.
 
Friday’s results set the stage for an exciting final day of pool play in the championship, as six teams remain alive in the championship hunt. While either Houston or UCF will advance from Pool B, all four teams in Pool A stand 1-1 in the championship, setting the stage for a pair of crucial games Saturday. Louisville faces Rutgers at 3 p.m., and USF takes on Memphis at 7. The winners of those games will tie for first in Pool A, with the head-to-head result of the tied teams prevailing as the tiebreaker for Sunday’s championship game.
 
2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Bright House Field • Clearwater, Fla.
 
                                       Tournament
Pool A                                Record
No. 1 Louisville                                 1-1
No. 4 Rutgers                                    1-1
No. 5 USF                                          1-1
No. 8 Memphis                                 1-1
 
                                       Tournament
Pool B                                Record
No. 3 Houston                                   2-1
No. 2 UCF                                          2-1
No. 7 UConn                                      1-1
No. 6 Temple                                    0-2
 
 
Wednesday, May 21 – Pool Play
UCF 7, UConn 1
Houston 3, Temple 0
Rutgers 10, USF 0 (7 innings)
 
Thursday, May 22 – Pool Play
UConn 7, Houston 2
Louisville 13, Memphis 3 (7 innings)
UCF 6, Temple 2
 
Friday, May 23 – Pool Play
Memphis 5, Rutgers 1
USF 2, Louisville 1
Houston 13, UCF 8
 
Saturday, May 24 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 6 Temple (14-32) vs. No. 7 UConn (27-30)                                11 a.m.
No. 1 Louisville (44-14) vs. No. 4 Rutgers (30-24)                             3 p.m.
No. 5 USF (27-30) vs. No. 8 Memphis (29-29)                                    7 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 25 – Final (ESPNU)
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner                                                             Noon
 
all times Eastern