ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball program earned its 1500th all-time victory Friday, defeating the Manhattan Jaspers 13-3 at the UCF Baseball Complex. The program, which began 44 years ago in 1973, now boasts an overall record of 1500-1004-10.
Head coach Greg Lovelady noted the milestone spoke to the talented player and coaches who layed the foundation for the program over the years.
"1500 wins is good for the program," Lovelady said. "It says a lot about all of the alums and the teams that came before us."
Early on it looked like 1500 might have to wait, as Manhattan came out swinging and took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. UCF was able to rally back, sending 11 hitters to the plate in the bottom half of the third. Three walks, two hit batsman, and two singles told the story and allowed the Knights to open up a 4-2 lead.
The Jasper pitching staff would struggle with control throughout the evening, as the Knights batted through the order again and scored seven runs in the sixth. By the end the game, the Black and Gold had nine batters hit by a pitch, the most in a single game in program history. The previous mark was set on Feb. 28, 2010 when Siena pitchers hit six UCF batters.
UCF starting pitcher Robby Howell went six and one-third innings allowing three runs on nine hits and struck out five. The senior right-hander improves to 2-0 on the season with a 2.38 ERA and 15-total strikeouts.
Senior reliever Trent Thompson came on for Howell in the seventh and retired all five hitters he faced. Thompson added an exclamation point as he notched back-to-back strikeouts to end the eighth before junior-righty Andrew Rohloff finished things up in the ninth.
Knights by the Numbers
- Senior Eli Putnam and Sophomore Kyle Marsh each extend hitting streaks to 5-games
- Senior Ryan Crile leads the team with 6 RBIs
- Marsh leads the Knights in extra base hits with 4 doubles and 1 triple
- UCF has stolen a combined 12-13 bases
- The Black and Gold team batting average is .346 with 55 hits 35 RBIs
- Knights pitching boasts a combined 2.00 ERA with 59 strikeouts
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m., as the Knights honor members of the armed services during Military Appreciation Night.
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