ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team overcame a rain delay that pushed Saturday night's game to Sunday morning to win the annual War On I-4 series against South Florida. Despite recording the 11th shutout against the Bulls in the 140-game history of the series in the morning, the Knights could not complete the sweep in the afternoon.
With their win in game two, the Knights clinched the War On I-4 title for the athletic department. After Sunday, UCF leads the annual series 43-8. For more information on the War On I-4, click here.
GAME 1
The Knights clinched the all-sports trophy to start the day. In a game that lasted more than 18 hours of real time, due to a weather delay interrupted proceedings in the seventh inning, the Knights blanked the Bulls 5-0.
UCF cruised offensively for the first seven innings, before lightning in the area put a halt to the game. The two sides resumed play at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The Knights recorded their third shutout of the year.
Starting pitcher Chris Williams spun 6 1/3 scoreless frames. The righty notched his third quality start of the season and recorded six strikeouts. The redshirt junior did not issue a walk with five 1-2-3 innings. Williams looked poised to continue deeper, until the weather delay ended his weekend.
The Knights took command of the game early, scoring in each of the first three innings. Ray Alejo started things off with a leadoff double. He later came in when Dalton Wingo legged out an infield single to the shortstop with two outs.
UCF tacked on two more runs an inning later. After an Anthony George walk, Ben McCabe ripped a triple down the right field line for an RBI. Adams Torres followed that up with an RBI single to left on the next at-bat.
The next two runs came courtesy of flawless situational hitting. With Mika on first after a leadoff walk in the third, Beaver roped a single on a hit-and-run that advanced the runner to third. Dalton Wingo converted a perfect sacrifice bunt for an RBI single to make it 4-0. Two innings later, Mika scored from first on a hit-and-run single from Beaver.
Following a 14-hour break, Garrett Westberg took over pitching duties from Williams. The senior worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with an inning-ending strikeout. The northpaw finished with a career-high five strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings of action with one hit against.
UCF – 5, USF – 0
Winning Pitcher: Chris Williams (3-2)
Losing Pitcher: Collin Sullivan (2-2)
Top Hitters: Dalton Wingo (2-4, 2 RBI), Dallas Beaver (2-4, 1 RBI), Matthew Mika (0-1, 3 BB, 2 R)
Top Pitchers: Chris Williams (6.1 IP, 6 K, 4 H, 0 R), Garrett Westberg (2.2 IP, 5 K, 1 H, 0 R)
WILLY, WILLY
• Williams worked the sixth game of career without a walk and at least six innings pitched
• The righty tossed fewer than 11 pitches is four of his six frames.
• The redshirt senior started off hot, facing the minimum through three on 26 pitches.
NOTES
• It was the second year in a row that the Knights shut out the Bulls.
• The Knights have scored in the first inning in 17 games this season.
• Anthony George caught two runners stealing. The redshirt junior is 6-for-8 when throwing runners out this season.
• Ben McCabe tripled for the first time in his career, after hitting his first career home run earlier in the week.
• Dalton Wingo posted his 10th multi-hit and fourth multi-RBI game of the year.
GAME 2
Tyler Osik made a quick statement after missing the second game of the series through injury. With two on and two out, the redshirt lofted a bases-clearing double off the wall in dead center to put the Knights ahead.
The advantage did not last long, as the Bulls took the lead with a trio of runs in the second on no hits, aided by three walks, a hit by pitch and an error. USF added to its lead with an unearned run in the fourth.
The bullpen was called on to throw eight innings. Jeffrey Hakanson settled things down and struck out four without allowing a run in two innings of work. Jack Sinclair did yeoman’s work on the mound for 2 1/3 with a strikeout. He surrendered one run and scattered four hits. Zack Hunsicker retired the side in order in the ninth.
Adams Torres brought the Black and Gold back within one in the fifth inning. The sophomore drove a 2-1 offering over the wall in left for his first career home run.
The Bulls countered in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run from first baseman Joe Genord.
UCF – 3, USF – 6
Winning Pitcher: Noah Yager (2-1)
Losing pitcher: Jaylyn Whitehead (3-2)
Top Hitters: Ray Alejo (2-4, 1 R), Adams Torres (2-2, 1 RBI, 1 R)
Top Pitchers: Jeffrey Hakanson (2.0 IP, 4 K, 1 H, 0 R), Jack Sinclair (2.1 IP, 1 K, 4 H, 1 ER), Luis Ferrer (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER), Zack Hunsicker (1.0, 0 H, 0 R)
NOTES
• Adams Torres also recorded his first multi-hit game of the season.
• The eight innings of work by the bullpen is tied for the second most in 2019.
• Osik’s double was his eighth of the year.
• With a pair of runs in the first, UCF extended its first inning scoring lead to 35-15
• Sunday afternoon was only the second time the Knights tied in hits this year.
• Three of USF’s runs were unearned, as the Knights committed a season-high three errors.
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