Baseball Drops Tightly Contested Finale to No. 10 West Virginia, 4-3Baseball Drops Tightly Contested Finale to No. 10 West Virginia, 4-3

Baseball Drops Tightly Contested Finale to No. 10 West Virginia, 4-3

by James Warnick
Box Score

ORLANDO – The UCF baseball team found itself on the wrong side of a tightly contested 4-3 contest to No. 10 West Virginia in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at John Euliano Park.

The Knights held a 2-1 advantage early, but WVU responded with three runs in the fifth and managed to hold on down the stretch to record the victory and earn the three-game sweep. The first-place Mountaineers move to 37-5 overall and 16-3 in Big 12 play with the win, while UCF drops to 23-20 and 6-15 in conference play with the setback.

“I thought that we played well enough to have a chance to win all weekend, but obviously not well enough to beat them,” head UCF coach Rich Wallace said. “When you play a team like that, you need to take advantage of your opportunities and come out and beat them, and not just wait for them to roll over and let you beat them.”

With WVU holding to an early 1-0 advantage, the Knights responded with doubles from DeAmez Ross and Andrew Williamson in the bottom of the first to tie the game. The Black and Gold then added another run in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Dylan King led off the frame by getting hit by a pitch and he later came around to score on a two-out RBI double from Ross.

With UCF starter Matt Sauser putting zeros on the board over the next three innings, the Mountaineers managed to drive in a trio of runs in the top of the fifth to regain the lead at 4-2. Jace Rinehart had the big hit with a two-run double off the top of the wall and Sam White followed with a two-out RBI single.

After UCF reliever Dominic Castellano retired the Mountaineers in order in the top of the sixth, the Knights responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 4-3 contest. With two on and two out, Ross pulled a sharp RBI single to right to score King from second for his fourth hit and second RBI of the game to pull the Black and Gold within a run.

The southpaw Castellano remained on the mound in relief for the Knights and did well, as he tossed the final 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to give UCF a chance. The 4.1-inning outing marked a season-long for Castellano. But the UCF offense couldn’t get the big hit when it needed it, as the Knights went on to fall by a run.

West Virginia starter Jack Kartsonas earned the win on the mound to move to 5-1 on the season, while Ben McDougal pitched the final 2.1 innings to record his first save of the year. Matt Sauser was tagged with his first loss to drop to 3-1. Over the final 4.1 innings, Castellano allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out three and not walking a batter. He also finished the outing by retiring the last 13 batters he faced.

With the bases empty and no outs in the top of the fourth, WVU’s Sam White drove a ball to deep center field but UCF centerfielder Ross was able to get back and time his leap to perfection to rob White of a home run.  

“That was about as good as you can do it in that situation. To time it up and be where you need to be, and to time the jump. It’s one thing to do all that but you still need to be able to complete the play, and he did that,” Wallace added.

Ross led the Black and Gold offensively by going 4-for-5 with two RBIs, two doubles and a run scored. Williamson and Andrew Sundean followed by recording two hits apiece. Rinehart paced WVU by going 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and a run scored.

The Knights will close a four-game homestand by hosting North Florida in midweek action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The contest will mark UCF’s final game against a Sunshine State foe. Following Tuesday, the Black and Gold will hit the road for seven straight games beginning next weekend at Oklahoma State.