ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The Knights completed the series sweep of Siena this weekend, defeating the Saints 7-2 in Sunday's finale.
Starting pitcher Jason Bahr went 4 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two errors. He struck out five in the no decision before giving way to Freshman Joseph Sheridan.
Sheridan threw two strong innings and was credited with the win; the first of his collegiate career. All told, the UCF pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts and just seven hits and faced just 34 hitters.
"The pitching staff was phenomenal all weekend," head coach Greg Lovelady said. "Our strikeout to walk ratio was really impressive. When you pitch, you have a chance, and our guys did a great job of giving us a chance to win three games."
On the offensive side, right fielder Eli Putnam shined at the plate. The senior went three for four with three RBIs including a clutch two-out RBI-single in the fifth to give the Knights the lead, and a two-run blast to left field in the sixth.
Freshman Firsts
- Joseph Sheridan & Rylan Thomas each recorded their first-ever collegiate strikeouts
- Sheridan notched his first-career win
- In his first appearance on the mound, Thomas struck out the first-three hitters he faced
Continuing the Trend
- UCF is now 51-4 all-time against Siena and have won the last 13 meetings dating back to 2/16/13
- The 17-run win Friday night tied a school record for the most runs in a season opener (2/22/2008)
- The Black and Gold have now swept the home opener each of the last four years
Next up, the Black and Gold are scheduled to host North Florida Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a three-game series with Manhattan slated to begin Friday.