GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The No. 26 UCF baseball team made the trek some 120 miles north to meet the No. 2 Gators Tuesday at McKethan Stadium. The Black and Gold battled back after going down early on, scoring key runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings before ultimately dropping a 4-3 decision to the home team.
"We went toe-to-toe with the second best team in the country," UCF head coach Greg Lovelady said. "We had some opportunities, but just didn't get the big hit when we needed it early on. We'll see how we go tomorrow, I think the guys will be ready."
Down 4-2 in the ninth, senior Luke Hamblin drew a one-out walk to give his squad new life. He advanced to second on a ground ball fielded by the first baseman, who flipped the ball to the pitcher for out number two.
That's when senior Ryan Crile delivered his 11th RBI of the year with a two-out single up the middle, bringing the Knights within one. Freshman Rylan Thomas also followed with a base hit but that was be all UCF would manage in the final inning.
Despite the loss, the Knights out hit the Gators 10-4 and gave up just five walks to their opponents seven.
UCF will look to earn a split as the Gators come to town Wednesday, Mar. 1 for a rematch at the UCF Baseball Complex at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or calling 407-UCF-1000.
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