ORLANDO – Taylor Cobb pitched six shutout innings while Clay Timpner missed hitting for the cycle by just a home run as UCF rolled past East Carolina 7-2 in the series finale Sunday. With the win, the Golden Knights won two-of-three from the defending Conference USA champs to improve to 5-4 on the year. East Carolina dropped to 4-3.
Cobb (1-0) was dominant all afternoon long as the sophomore right-hander allowed just six hits in his 6.0 innings of work. The Jacksonville native struck out a career-high six as he earned his first win of the season.
Timpner was the offensive star for the Golden Knights as he finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. UCF recorded 11 hits on the day including two from Jon Cooper and Ryan Bear.
UCF scored all of its runs in the first three innings including three each in the first and second.
In the first, DH Blaine Schulte delivered a two-run single down the left field line to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead. Bear added a line drive RBI-single later in the inning to push the lead to 3-0.
The Golden Knights took firm control of the game in the second with another three runs. Timpner got things started with a triple down the right field line scoring two. Rich Wallace added a RBI on a sacrifice fly to score Timpner.
Dee Brown drove in a run in the third to extend the lead to 7-0. After Ryan Bono hit his first career triple to right field, Brown plated him with a sacrifice fly.
East Carolina avoided the shutout with two runs on no hits off UCF reliever Matt Fox in the seventh. Fox did record his second save of the season by pitching the final three innings of the game.
ECU starter Davey Penny (0-2) lasted just 1.1 innings as he allowed six runs on five hits.
UCF returns to the diamond next Friday at home vs. Monmouth. The Golden Knights and Hawks will play a four-game series beginning Friday night at 6 p.m.
