TROY, Ala. – Sophomore right-handed pitcher Matt Fox struck out 11 batters in 6.1 innings to lead UCF (29-21, 12-12 A-Sun) past Troy State 7-3 (25-23, 14-13 A-Sun) Sunday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala. The victory clinched the series win for the Golden Knights and vaulted UCF into a tie for seventh place in the conference, just a half game out of sixth place.
UCF had a big weekend at the plate, totaling 21 runs in three games including 38 hits.
Fox (2-3) pitched a gem in one of the most important games of the season for UCF. The sophomore pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits with 11 strikeouts. Fox tied a career-best with 11 strikeouts, equaling the mark he set earlier this season vs. South Florida. The victory also marked the first career A-Sun win for Fox.
Fox was in control all day long, including a stretch of retiring eight straight batters from the second to fourth inning.
UCF scored an early run thanks to a Troy State error in the first. Clay Timpner hit a grounder to first baseman Glen Hardy, who misplayed the hop, which scored David Mann all the way from second. The inning could have been much better for the Golden Knights, but UCF left the bases loaded to end the inning.
For the second time in two games, a UCF player hit his first collegiate home run in the second as Ryan Bono drilled a solo shot to right field to increase the lead to 2-0. Last night, Drew Butera launched his first career home run for the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights scored their third run in as many innings in the third as Dave Lambert drove in Ryan Bear giving UCF a 3-0 lead. Bear led off the frame with his fifth triple of the season before Lambert sent him home with a RBI-groundout.
Lambert continued to sizzle at the plate in the fifth as he ripped a double down the right field line, scoring Timpner, to increase the lead to 4-0.
Troy State finally got on the scoreboard with two runs in the fifth. Brad Sheffield tripled to the right-center field gap for TSU’s first run of the day while Casey O’Quinn hit a bloop single down the right field line to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
In the UCF seventh, pinch hitter Rich Wallace came through with a critical sacrifice fly to score Timpner, extending the lead to 5-2. Butera added a RBI-double down the left field line with two outs in the frame to give UCF a four-run cushion at 6-2. The RBI for Butera was his sixth of the series vs. the Trojans.
O’Quinn delivered his second RBI of the game for TSU in the seventh with a soft liner into centerfield to cut the deficit to 6-3.
The Golden Knights answered right back with a run of their own in the eighth. David Mann tripled and P.J. Lehmann lined a RBI-single through the left side to give UCF a 7-3 advantage. Mann had an outstanding day in the leadoff spot, going 1-for-2 with two runs scored, three walks and a stolen base.
Game Note: Nathan Kragt was hit by a pitch in the first inning for the 14th time this season, moving him into third place on the single-season list at UCF.
