DAYTONA BEACH – Chandler Rose finished 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to lead No. 23 UCF past Bethune-Cookman 7-6 in 11 innings Tuesday evening in Daytona Beach. The win was the 11th straight on the year for the Golden Knights as they moved to 21-4 overall while Bethune-Cookman dropped to 15-11.
Freshman reliever Brian Brooks (1-0) pitched the game’s final five innings to earn his first collegiate victory. The Oviedo native yielded one earned run and struck out five.
UCF took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded, Marshall Bernhard hit a double play ball to Bethune-Cookman third baseman Ryan Ghianda, but Ghianda threw the ball away into right field, allowing two runs to score on the play.
In the second, UCF loaded the bases with two singles and a hit batsman before Chandler Rose hit a single with two outs up the middle that deflected off the shortstop to bring in two runs and extend the lead to 4-0.
Bethune-Cookman scored its first run in the third inning via a balk by UCF starter Taylor Meier.
Bethune-Cookman sliced the lead to 4-3 in the fourth when Brad Frick drilled a two-run double down the right field line to score two. Frick tried to come all the away around to score, but he was gunned down at the plate on a perfect relay throw from second baseman Kevin Richmond.
The Wildcats came all the way back from the early 4-0 deficit in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Juan Figueroa to tie the contest at four.
UCF regained the lead 5-4 in the sixth inning as Drew Butera doubled down the left field line to score Rose.
Two infield singles and a bloop hit to center field led to one run in the bottom of the seventh for the Wildcats. With the bases loaded and one out, Figueroa reached on a fielder’s choice to drive in a run and tie the score at five.
In the top of the eighth, Rose drilled his first home run of his UCF career with a shot to left field to give the Golden Knights a 6-5 lead.
The Wildcats tied the contest in the bottom of the ninth as pinch hitter Luis Turmero started the inning with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a fielding error by Brown. After a strikeout, Ghianda drove in the game-tying run with a sacrifice fly to left field to score the unearned run.
UCF started the 11th inning with back-to-back singles by Timpner and Mann. After an intentional walk to Ryan Bono to load the bases, Dave Lambert brought home Timpner with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Knights a 7-6 advantage. Timpner recorded a career-high four hits on the night for the victors.
UCF returns to the diamond Friday at home vs. Stetson. The three-game series starts at 6 p.m. Friday evening at Jay Bergman Field.
Rose Lifts No. 23 Baseball Past Bethune-Cookman
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