Game 44 - Central Florida at Jacksonville

March 24 at John Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com

I want to start with a concern I had throughout this misty, mid-week game, won by Jacksonville 13-9. Color commentator Robbie Smith must've had strep throat or perhaps the mist was getting to him, but he cleared his throat or just went for it with a full cough a total of 44 times during the broadcast. I don't know why he couldn't just get the night off, or at least not cough into the microphone for 3 1/2 hours.

Loved ones of Robbie Smith: please monitor his progress, perhaps fetch his swim trunks and let him take a dip in an orange juice kiddy pool. Things did not sound good.

As for the game, which matched up the high-powered offense of Baseball America No. 6 Central Florida and the host Dolphins, things went about as well as Robbie Smith's next throat culture.

* Five of the six wild pitches were thrown by UCF pitchers, including three tossed by losing pitcher Harrison Hukari.

* Jacksonville made four errors, three of which were just drops of routine pop flies.

* Five home runs were allowed. The three hit by UCF are understandable - the Golden Knights lead the nation in long balls - but the Dolphins hit a quarter of their season total (8) on Tuesday, including Austin Hays' solo shot in the sixth that gave Jacksonville the lead for good. UCF clean up hitter Matt Diorio had two of those home runs - a two-run shot in the sixth that helped the visitors from Orlando briefly get back even at 5-5, and a grand slam in the ninth - and drove in seven runs.

Play-by-play man Scott Manzey's Baseball Phrases bat was corked this evening; a true masterpiece. Let's take a look at his top 7:

"Mashin' the heck out of it"
"That fastball's got some giddy up and go on it"
"They put up a crooked number"
"Add another bruise to the battery"
"It might take a guy kinda' buckin' up"
"Over-anxious in squeezing the horsehide"
"Grand salami!"