ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 19 UCF baseball team hit for the home run cycle on Saturday night at John Euliano Park. The Knights homered five times in a dominant 20-1 victory over Chicago State.
While the UCF (16-4) hitters matched a season high with 16 hits, the pitchers combined for a one hitter with 11 strikeouts.
"It was a well-played game, all the way around," head coach Greg Lovelady said. "We did a great job. Thad gave us a great start and just pounded the zone. The bullpen came in and made every inning important. In the first inning, I thought we were out in front of everything, but we made the adjustments to get on time to take advantage of the opportunities. We had guys on, and we were able to bring them in, which is something we haven't been able to do this season. It was good to see a lot of home runs. It was good to see the offense break out the last two games and do such a great job."
Tyler Osik continued his hot hitting with five RBI on a pair of home runs. The junior was one of seven Knights to drive in a run on the night. Brody Wofford brought in a quartet of runs on the first grand slam of the season for the Black and Gold. Dallas Beaver, Rylan Thomas, Matthew Mika and Griffin Bernardo each finished with a pair of RBI. Thomas went 3-for-3 at the dish and scored four times. Ray Alejo added an RBI with a 2-for-3 outing. In all, six different Knights posted multi-hit games.
UCF scored in bunches with six runs in the second inning and seven runs in the fifth. Bernardo and Dalton Wingo scored on a single by Alejo in the second to extend the early lead to 3-0. Mika added an RBI infield single three batters later, before Osik's first homer of the night, a three-run shot. In the fifth, Bernardo plated Wingo on a sacrifice fly to left to make it 10-0. Thomas singled to center field for a pair of runs later in the inning. With the bases loaded, Wofford hammered an 0-1 offering over the wall in right field to tack on four more runs.
KEY STATS
No. 19 UCF (16-4) – 20, Chicago State (4-11) – 1
Winning pitcher: Thad Ward (2-1)
Losing pitcher: Dean Youngblood (0-2)
Top performers: Thad Ward (4 IP, 4 K, 0 H), Jeffrey Hakanson (1 IP, 3K, 0 H), Rylan Thomas (3-3, 2 RBI, 4 R), Brody Wofford (2-3, 4 RBI, 1 HR), Tyler Osik (2-3, 5 RBI, 2 HR)
HOME RUN DERBY
• For the first time in program history, UCF hit for the home run cycle – Bernardo (solo), Osik and Beaver (2-Run), Osik (3-Run) and Wofford (Grand Slam).
• The Knights' five home runs were the most since March 10, 2017, against Central Michigan.
• Osik was the first Knight to homer twice in a game since Thomas accomplished the feat against Central Michigan last season.
• The Knights now have seven home runs in two games against the Cougars.
ONE HITTER
• Thad Ward was perfect in his four innings. The righty fanned a quartet without surrendering a hit or a walk.
• Jordan Spicer pitched one inning of relief with one strikeout.
• Jeffrey Hakanson came on for the sixth inning and struck out three.
• Nick McCoy recorded a pair of punchouts in his one inning of work.
• Lefties Luis Ferrer and Jaylyn Whitehead closed out the game in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
NOTABLES
• The Knights have outscored the Cougars 30-1 over the first two games of the weekend.
• The 19-run win was the largest for the Knights since last season's 20-run margin over Central Michigan.
• The winning margin was also the 15th largest in program history.
• The Black and Gold did not commit an error for the third straight game and ninth time this season.
• The Knights have scored four or more runs in nine innings this season.
UP NEXT
The Knights will send JJ Montgomery to the mound on Sunday in the series finale against Zach Thomas from Chicago State. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
DON'T MISS THE ACTION
Season and single-game tickets for UCF Baseball are on sale. Featuring a 36-game home schedule, John Euliano Park is set to host some of the best collegiate baseball in the country. For more information on tickets call 407-823-1000 or log on to ticketmaster.com.
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