ORLANDO – The UCF offense exploded for 20 runs on 22 hits including nine extra base hits in a 20-6 victory over Wagner Wednesday evening at Jay Bergman Field. The Golden Knights won their seventh straight of the season to raise their record to 17-4 while Wagner dropped to 2-7.
UCF set season-highs in at-bats (48), runs (20), hits (22), RBI (18), triples (3), home runs (2) and total bases (38) in the 14-run victory. In the three-game sweep of Wagner, the Golden Knights outscored the Seahawks 44-11.
The UCF offense exploded for five runs in the first inning after Wagner jumped out to a 4-0. After hitting just two home runs in 20 games, the Golden Knights hit two in the first inning including a three-run home run by Ryan Bono and a two-run homer by Matt LaFleur. Bono’s shot was the first homer of his career at Jay Bergman Field while LaFleur’s prodigious blast was his first as a Golden Knight. LaFleur hit eight last season at Marshall.
Following the five-run first, UCF scored in every inning except the fifth and eighth en route to the blowout win.
Clay Timpner was 2-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored as he extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Drake Wade was 2-for-2 with four RBI and two triples while Bono was 2-for-3 with three RBI. LaFleur (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Marshall Bernhard (2-for-4, 2 runs), Kevin Richmond (3-for-3, 3 runs) and Matt Ray (2-for-3, 2 runs) also finished with multi-hit games for the victors.
Freshman Derek Abriola earned his first collegiate victory with 4.2 innings of solid relief. Abriola (1-0) yielded just one run on five hits with two strikeouts on the night.
The Golden Knights hit the road this weekend for a three-game series at Campbell. The three-game series begins Friday night at 6 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.
Game Notes: Drake Wade’s two triples marked the first time a Golden Knight has hit two triples in a game since Jeremy Frost (5/13/00) vs. Campbell … The last time UCF scored 20 runs in a game at home was vs. St. Joseph’s (3/3/01) when UCF scored 21 vs. the Hawks … UCF’s 22 hits were the most since the Golden Knights tallied 22 at Georgia State (5/11/02).
Baseball Blasts Wagner 20-6
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