TAMPA, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The baseball edition of the War On I-4 lived up to the billing Friday, as the No. 27 Knights battled back to tie the game in the ninth, before falling to the No. 26 Bulls 5-4 in 11 innings at the USF Baseball Complex.
Down 4-2, the heart of the Knights order came to bat in the ninth. Left fielder Kyle Marsh started the inning with a single to right field. Right fielder Eli Putnam then doubled down the left field line, scoring Marsh from first.
As outfielder Bryce Peterson came on to pinch hit with one out, Putnam moved to third on a wild pitch. Peterson then chopped a single up the middle, and the game was tied.
It was the Bulls who got the job done in the bottom of the 11th however. After the lead-off man singled, a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. UCF took an intentional pass on the next hitter to put the double play back in effect, before getting out number two from a fly ball.
Then, a two-out single to the gap in right center was just enough for USF to score the game's winning run from second base.
The Bulls struck first after drawing two walks in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second and one out, a double to the corner in right field brought home the game's first run. With runners on second and third, a sacrifice fly to center scored run number two.
Another walk and a hit batsman would load the bases before the innings fifth walk forced in a third run the Bulls. The ninth hitter of the inning finally grounded to first to end the threat.
The Knights battled back in the sixth, when third baseman Kam Gellinger led off with a single and center fielder Luke Hamblin walked. Both runners advanced after a balk was called, and Gellinger scored when second baseman Matthew Mika grounded out to short. Marsh then drove in one more with a clutch two-out single to right, scoring Hamblin from second to make it 3-2.
USF pushed the lead back to 4-2 with a solo home run to lead off the bottom half of the seventh, forcing the Knights to score two to comeback in the ninth.
The first pitch of game two is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, with Sunday's series finale set for 2 p.m. at the USF Baseball Stadium. Tune in and listen at iHeart Radio and FM 96.9 The Game, with the voice of the Knights, Marc Daniels on the call. Fans can also click here to follow along via live stats.
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