Feb. 22, 2014
Final Stats
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andrew Jennette
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - On a crisp Central Florida evening with temperatures in the mid-60s, 1,493 fans at the UCF baseball complex were treated to another excellent pitching performance by a UCF starter as the Knights (4-2) topped Oklahoma, 4-1, on the second day of the UCF Baseball Tournament.
RHP Spencer Davis shined as he tossed 6.2 innings, a career high. The junior allowed just three hits and one unearned run to go along with four strikeouts. One of the big questions coming into this season for UCF was how Davis would make the transition from closer to starting pitcher. Through two starts it has been seamless as Davis is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA.
Spencer Davis did a tremendous job, head coach Terry Rooney said. We're really proud of him. He's made some tremendous strides and adjustments. He's been doing a great job for us throughout the preseason and into his first two starts. I'm most proud that the guys came back after last night's tough loss. It says an awful lot about these guys to bounce back like that and I'm very proud of them.
Tied at 1, the Knights put three on the board in the bottom of the fourth in non-traditional fashion. After a pair of singles by James Vasquez and Sam Tolleson helped load the bases, UCF scored on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a bases-loaded hit batsman. The trio of runs would prove to be the winning margin for the Black and Gold.
A pair of freshmen also teamed up for the biggest out of the game for the Knights. After Davis departed with the bases loaded in the seventh, LHP Vinnie Rosace was tabbed by Rooney to escape the jam. The Lake Mary native induced a chopper to third on a 1-1 pitch where fellow rookie Kam Gellinger made a tremendous stop on the high bounce and fired an equally impressive dart across the diamond to nail the runner by half a step and save at least two runs.
Kam Gellinger is going to be a great player, Rooney said. He made the defensive play of the night with the bases loaded going down third base. He's got all of the tools. Vinnie Rosace is a winner. We're still trying to develop the back end of our games, Parker Thomas was extended last night and wasn't going to pitch today. Oklahoma has some big left-handed bats but Vinnie handled it, we knew he could. He did a nice job.
Trailing 1-0, junior Derrick Salberg tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single. Salberg was 2-for-3 on the evening with a pair of runs batted in. The base hit scored freshman Brooks Morgan, who got the start at designated hitter in his UCF debut. The Gainesville native came up with a single and a walk in addition to his run scored.
Freshman Trent Thompson relieved Rosace to open the eighth and earned his first-career save as he struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief.
UCF closes out its three-day home tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. against The Citadel. The last time the two teams met on the diamond was in back in 1987. All box scores and live links can be found at the UCF Baseball Tournament Central page.
To purchase season or single-game tickets, visit our Baseball Ticket Central page, or call the UCFAA Sales & Service Office at (407) UCF-1000. Stay up-to-date on all the latest baseball news by visiting UCFKnights.com and by following the team on Twitter @UCF_Baseball, Facebook and Instagram.