ATLANTA - The UCF baseball team took both games of a doubleheader against GSU on Saturday afternoon winning game one in a blowout 19-5, but needed extra frames in the second game to escape with an 8-7 win to complete the three-game sweep and remain in the hunt for first place in the Atlantic Sun.
In game one UCF (33-20, 20-7) pounded out 23 hits against GSU (21-31, 11-16), including homeruns in back-to-back innings from Rich Wallace and Clay Timpner in the fourth and fifth innings respectively.
Already leading 7-2, the Knights exploded in the sixth inning putting up a 10-spot on the Panthers to put things way out of reach. It was a trio of pinch hitters that were responsible for the majority of the damage, as the late inning insertions were responsible for seven runs in the inning. Ty Hanson, the first pinch hitter, doubled to bring home Dee Brown and Wallace. With Hanson on second and Timpner on first after a walk, the second pinch hitter, Fritz Reichardt, belted a single to right center allowing them both to cross the plate making the score 14-2. Fellow pinch-hitter Ryan Bear's three-run double with two outs capped the 10-run sixth inning.
Leading the hit parade for the Knights was Brown who finished the game 4 of 6, with three runs scored. Right fielder Jason Graham went 3 for 3 with a run scored, while four other UCF players each collected two hits.
Bo Hall kept his record unblemished moving to 7-0 on the season. He pitched 5 1/3 giving up four runs on four hits and striking out three. Brad Busbin kept the Panthers in check for the remaining inning and a third.
The Panthers David Hawkins picked up the loss giving up six runs on 10 hits; he falls to 6-7 on the season.
David Mann came through in the clutch in game two hitting RBI singles in both the top of the seventh to tie the game and again in the top of the ninth to give the Knights the lead, both hits coming with two outs.
In the second game the Knights trailed 7-5 in the top half of the seventh, but would erase the deficit scoring two runs to send the game into extra innings. Wallace led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a Jeremy Frost single. Graham would then load the bases after reaching safely on a throwing error, before Mann would hit a single to left field scoring both Wallace and Frost.
In the ninth Frost reached base on a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch, before Mann delivered what would be the knock-out punch with a single to center field putting the Knights ahead for good at 8-7.
Zach Sutton, who pitched the final four innings for the Knights, got a ground-ball out to third to end the game with the tying and winning run on first and second. Sutton picked up the win tossing four innings, giving up three hits and striking out four. He improves his record to 3-1. Starter Lincoln Mincks went 4 1/3 giving up five runs on six hits and striking out two.
Brett Strickland was saddled with the loss for the Panthers after throwing the final five innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out four. He falls to 3-6 on the season.
The Knights will head home to play their final regular season series as they host Mercer at Jay Bergman Field on Friday. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.
