ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team used quick start on Saturday night against No. 15 Auburn to win 6-1 at John Euliano Park and even the weekend series to even its weekend series. It was the first ranked victory of 2019 for the Knights.
“I’m really proud of the guys for what they were able to do tonight,” head coach Greg Lovelady said. “We didn’t play much differently than we did last night. We just got the big hits when we needed them. I thought we slowed the game down a lot offensively with our game plan. I told the guys last night that we could beat these guys. I’m proud of how we were able to switch it up and get the win. It’s a huge game tomorrow with the series on the line. We’ll need a big crowd and a great start from Jordan Spicer.”
The Knights jumped out to an early lead and never looked back with four runs in the opening two frames. Dallas Beaver came across in the first to put the Knights on the board. The junior made his way to third after a one-out single, before Tyler Osik roped a double down the left field line. Matthew Mika hit a dribbler to third, which gave Beaver plenty of time to break for home.
An inning later, the Black and Gold added a trio of scores to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Dalton Wingo ripped a single through the left side to plate Griffin Bernardo from second. Two batters later, Ray Alejo continued his hot streak with an RBI single to center. Dallas Beaver added to the advantage on a deep RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
While the Knights were clicking on offense, Trevor Holloway kept the Tigers off balance at the plate. The righty rolled off five innings with five strikeouts and scattered a trio of hits. The junior managed to work himself out of a few of jams, forcing Auburn to strand six runners during his five shutout frames.
The Knights tacked on a pair of runs over the fourth and fifth. Alejo drove in Wingo on a two-out RBI single to center in the fourth. An inning later, the Black and Gold benefitted from a set of miscues by the Tigers. Catcher Jordan Rathbone struck out swinging, but the ball skipped past the catcher. On the ensuing throw down to first, the ball bounced short of the first baseman, which allowed Rathbone to reach base and Mika to come home from third.
UCF (5-1) – 6, #15 Auburn (5-2) – 1
Winning Pitcher: Trevor Holloway (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Kyle Gray (0-1)
Top Hitters: Ray Alejo (2-4, 2 RBI), Chandler Robertson (2-4), Dalton Wingo (2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI)
Top Pitchers: Trevor Holloway (6 IP, 5 K, 3 H, 0 R), Luis Ferrer (2.0 IP, 2 K, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB) Kyle Kemp (2.0 IP, 2 K, 1 H, 0 BB)
BRUISING BULLPEN
• Lovelady was able to give his bullpen a rest on Saturday, as Luis Ferrer and Kyle Kemp split the final four innings.
• Ferrer fanned a pair during his two innings of work. He gave up one hit in the sixth, but an error when throwing the ball back into the infield gave Auburn the chance to score an unearned run.
• Kemp made quick work of his two frames. He needed just 22 pitches to strikeout a pair and give up a lone base knock.
ALEJO AND ROBERTSON STAY HOT
• Chandler Robertson and Ray Alejo combined for four hits on the night.
• Robertson is hitting a team-high .450 on the year, followed by Alejo’s .333 clip.
• For Robertson, Saturday night was the fourth multi-hit game of his career and extended his career-long hitting streak to six games.
• Alejo’s two RBI marked the 23rd time he brought home multiple runs in a game in his career.
NOTES
• The Knights are now 18-22 against ranked opponents under Lovelady.
• UCF finished with nine strikeouts, matching Friday night’s total.
• All nine hitters reached base on Saturday night.
• Saturday was Holloway’s second straight start without allowing a run. He now has 11 strikeouts over 10 innings with no runs against.
• The Knights bounced back after stranding nine on the paths on Friday to leave just six runners on base, only one of whom was on third.
UP NEXT
UCF will go for its second straight series win against a ranked SEC opponent on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Jordan Spicer will get the ball for the Knights against Auburn lefty Bailey Horn.
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