ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF baseball team defeated No. 11 Houston 6-1 at the UCF Baseball Complex Sunday. With the win, the Knights take the first American Athletic Conference series of the year 2-1 and improve to an overall record of 22-7 on the season.
UCF took an early 1-0 lead in the third, after short stop Kam Gellinger led off with a single, and eventually scored from third on a sacrifice fly. But it was the team's response in the fifth that truly showed its grit.
After the Cougars notched back-to-back singles and a fly ball out to advance the runners, a well-placed bunt scored the game's tying run. With runners on the corners and just one out, freshman starter Joe Sheridan kept his composure, striking out the next two hitters to end the half inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Sheridan's teammates had his back. Third Baseman Brooks Morgan started the inning with a single and moved to third when Gellinger followed with a base hit of his own. Then, first baseman Rylan Thomas stepped up and delivered a blast to right field that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.
Now leading 2-1, the Knights weren't finished. Right fielder Eli Putnam chopped a ball to third, forcing the Houston infielder to throw quickly. His throw to the plate was high allowing Gellinger to score. Thomas moved to third on the play and Putnam advanced to second.
With one out, left fielder Kyle Marsh delivered his 23rd RBI of the season, bringing Thomas home with a ground ball out to second base.
Thad Ward came on in relief and took the Knights through the sixth, before Jason Bahr pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.
UCF got the bats going again, and added some insurance in the seventh. Center fielder Luke Hamblin led off with a double down the right field line and moved to third on a bunt single by Putnam. Marsh added his 11th double of the season to score Hamblin, before second baseman Matthew Mika drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out.
Designated hitter Bryce Peterson then brought Putnam home with a fly ball to right, but Mika was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play. A fly ball then ended the inning, but the Knights had secured a 6-1 advantage.
Sophomore closer Bryce Tucker came on for a non-save situation in the ninth. After the first Cougar batter singled and the second hitter flied out to right, Tucker made a move to first and caught the runner off the base. Tucker's throw to first was relayed to Gellinger at short, who applied the tag for the second out.
With Hamblin shading to right field, Houston got a two-out spark with a triple to the gap in left-center. But the next batter hit an easy ground ball right back to Tucker, who flipped the ball to first to end the game.
Knights by the Numbers
- Freshman Joe Sheridan improves to 5-2 and earned his first-career AAC victory
- Sheridan notched a career-best 6 strikeouts
- Thomas went 3-for-4 with a walk and notched his 30th RBI of the season
- Putnam and Marsh each notched 2 RBIs
- Bahr added two more strikeouts and now leads all pitchers with 41
- Knights relievers pitched a combined 10 scoreless innings in the series and struck out 10 hitters
- UCF hit a combined .265 against the cougars, notching 12 runs on 26 hits
Next up, the Knights host Stetson for a midweek game on April 5 at the UCF Baseball Complex. Wednesday's first pitch against the Hatters is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here or calling 407-UCF-1000.
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