ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Powered by a season-high 16 hits, the UCF baseball team outlasted VCU in the series opener on Friday night at John Euliano Park. Four Knights notched multi-hit games, as the Black and Gold won 10-9.
“The offense was awesome tonight,” head coach Greg Lovelady said. “It was good to break out after watching them be frustrated with their performance to start the season. The top of the order seemed like they were always on base. It gets the car rolling, and everyone joined in. It was good to see George come back and play well after missing the start of the season. We need to pitch better, but we did enough to win. We just need to continue playing all nine innings and not let up.”
The Knights jumped out early lead with three runs on four hits in the first. Dallas Beaver doubled to left center to plate Matthew Mika and Tyler Osik from scoring positions. Two batters later, Chandler Robertson lifted a two-out single to center that brought in Beaver from second.
After the Rams pulled two runs back in the top of the second, the Knights matched that with two of their own. Osik ripped a 1-0 delivery down the right field line to bring in Ray Alejo in from third. Beaver brought in his third run of the night two batters later with an RBI single back up the middle.
The long ball came into play in the fifth inning. Anthony George, in just his third game back from a season-ending injury in 2018, hit a solo home run to left to open a four-run lead. Three batters later, Osik drilled his third homer of the season over the wall in left for a two-run shot.
VCU continued to fight, scoring seven runs over the final four innings of the game. After the Rams cut the lead to two, Ray Alejo dropped a perfect bunt back to the pitcher, beating out the throw and letting pinch runner Gephry Pena come in from third.
Perhaps the most important run of the game came in the bottom of the eighth. Alejo took the first pitch of his at-bat over the wall in left for the Knights’ third homer of the game. The insurance run was exactly what the Knights needed to win, as the Rams pulled within one on a two-run shot in the ninth, before Jeffrey Hakanson closed things out with his fifth save.
UCF (13-5) – 10, VCU (13-4) – 9
Winning pitcher: Chris Williams (2-1)
Losing pitcher: Curtis Bafus (1-1)
Top hitters: Ray Alejo (4-5, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 2 R), Tyler Osik (3-5, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 3 R), Matthew Mika (2-4, 1 R), Dallas Beaver (2-2, 3 RBI, 1 R)
Top pitchers: Chris Williams (5.0 IP, 7 K, 0 BB, 5 ER), Kyle Kemp (1.0 IP, 2 K, 0 H)
TOP HEAVY
• The Knights had big-time production out of the first four spots of the order with 11 hits and eight RBI
• For the second time in a week, Alejo just missed out on the cycle. He recorded a career-high four hits, added his third triple of the season and homered for the team-leading fourth time this year.
• Osik posted a season-high three RBI and three hits. He now has four multi-RBI and seven multi-hit games in 2019.
• Mika's two-hit game was his seventh of the year and 52nd of his career.
• Beaver set a career high with three RBI and three walks.
WILLY, WILLY
• Chris Williams improved to 2-1 on the year after a five-inning outing with seven strikeouts and zero walks.
• The righty fired 17 first pitch strikes to the 25 batters he faced.
• It was the seventh time in his career that he did not issue a walk when he threw at least five innings.
NOTES
• UCF leads the all-time series 3-2.
• Osik extended his on-base streak to a career-best 16 games.
• He also set a career-high with two stolen bases, his fifth and sixth of the year.
• Kyle Kemp threw one inning in relief and did not allow a run. He now has an ERA of 0.00 through 12 innings of work with only one hit against.
• George’s home run was his first since May 12, 2017 against Tulane.
UP NEXT
UCF will send Grant Schuermann to face VCU’s Connor Gillispie in the second game of the weekend series on Saturday night at 6 p.m.