ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team clinched its weekend series on Saturday night with a convincing 11-2 win over Cincinnati. Starting pitcher Chris Williams delivered a solid eight-inning performance and Tyler Osik tallied a grand slam to give the Knights their third straight win.
"We needed a big start out of Willy, and that's exactly what we got," head coach Greg Lovelady said. "He was really efficient and controlled the strike zone. He got a lot of contact and was able to put guys away. I was really proud of him. We came out swinging the bats in the first inning, but we stepped off the gas once we had the lead. Osik gave us a huge grand slam, and we scored five more in the eighth. I'd like to score more in those middle innings, but I'm proud of the guys for coming out and swinging the bats hard. Now that we've won the series, we can't be satisfied with that."
After the Knights went through most of their bullpen on Wednesday and Friday night, Williams delivered a much-needed gem. The redshirt junior went eight innings with six strikeouts and three hits against. Williams retired 14 of the first 15 batters that he faced, before Cincinnati picked up its first hit of the game in the fifth on a solo home run. The righty worked around pair of hits in the seventh when the Bearcats plated their second run. Williams issued one free pass on the night, a hit by pitch to lead off the eighth. Jeffrey Hakanson relieved Williams for the final inning and struck out a pair of hitters in the ninth.
Offensively, the Knights were led by a 3-for-5, five-RBI outing by Osik. The junior launched his seventh home run of the season on a grand slam in the sixth inning. Ray Alejo chipped in a pair of RBI during his 3-for-5 performance with two runs. The redshirt sophomore finished a home run shy of the cycle. Despite not registering a hit, Matthew Mika worked his way around the bases to score twice, aided by a pair of walks. The Black and Gold reached double-figure hits for the 13th time this season and scored more than 10 runs for the eighth time.
KEY STATS
UCF (25-11, 6-5) – 11, Cincinnati (16-17, 6-5) – 2
Winning pitcher: Chris Williams (4-1)
Losing pitcher: Nathan Kroger (1-2)
Top performers: Chris Williams (8 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 2 ER), Tyler Osik (3-5, 5 RBI, 1 HR), Ray Alejo (3-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB)
WELL DONE WILLY
• Williams did not issue a walk for fifth time in his career as a starting pitcher when throwing at least five innings.
• Saturday night was the second time this season that Williams tossed eight innings.
• While he struck out six, the redshirt junior relied on his defense for 12 groundouts and six fly outs.
• Williams did not face a three-ball count all night.
• For 26 of the 29 batters he faced, Williams threw a first-pitch strike.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
• The Knights opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI sacrifice fly from Rylan Thomas and an RBI double from Osik.
• In the sixth, Osik drilled an 0-1 delivery well beyond the wall in left with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 6-1.
• UCF put the game out of reach with five runs in the eighth. Brandon Hernandez drew a bases-loaded walk. Dallas Beaver singled to left with the bases full to bring in Griffin Bernardo. Alejo drove in two scores with a double to right. Mika added one final run with a groundout to second with Beaver on third.
NOTABLES
• UCF has now won its last three series against Cincinnati.
• Osik now has 10 extra-base hits this season.
• Mika, Thomas or Osik have driven in a run in 32 of 36 games.
• Thomas now has a team-high 41 RBI this season.
• Alejo swiped a pair of bases, while Mika and Thomas each stole a base. It was the 10th game that the Knights stole at least four bases this season.
• Hakanson was flawless in his inning of work, which was his first appearance since March 24 against ECU.
• Saturday was the third time that the Knights had a starter throw at least eight innings this season.
• After having just one triple through the first 35 games of the year, the Knights picked up a pair on Saturday.
• Brody Wofford kept the Bearcats off the scoreboard in the fourth inning with a catch over the right-field wall to rob a home run.
UP NEXT
UCF will try to pick up its sixth sweep of the year in the series finale on Sunday. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the game was moved up to 11 a.m. The Knights will send JJ Montgomery to the mound against Cam Alldred from Cincinnati.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Baseball on social media on Facebook (/UCF.Baseball), Twitter (UCF_Baseball) and Instagram (UCF.Baseball).
