ORLANDO, Fla. – After a rocky start, the UCF baseball team rallied in the final two innings of the contest with Stetson, but ultimately fell just short with a final score of 6-5 in the first midweek matchup of the season.
The Knights fell into a 2-0 deficit in the third inning while struggling to put any runners on base in that time.
Sophomore center fielder Gephry Pena snapped Stetson's no-hit bid in the fourth inning of the contest with a single up the middle. He quickly came around to score as Dalton Wingo put the Knights on the board with a two-RBI blast, his first home run of the season, to tie the game at two runs each.
Hatters slugger Eric Foggo hit his second solo homer of the day in the sixth inning to give Stetson a 3-2 lead.
The Black and Gold found themselves in the lead for the first time in the game as Jordan Rathbone also hit his first home rune of the 2020 slate to put the Knights up 4-3. Stetson answered in their next turn at the plate, scoring three runs on three hits, which proved to be too much to overcome for UCF.
Stetson (4-0) – 6, UCF (4-1) – 5
Winning Pitcher: Kyle Yeoward (1-0, 1.0 IP, 2 K)
Losing Pitcher: Billy McKay (0-1,
Top Hitters: Dalton Wingo (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Jordan Rathbone (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Eric Foggo (2-4, 2 HR)
Top Pitchers: Jeff Hakanson (1.0 IP, 2 K), Zack Hunsicker (2.0 IP, 2 K), Danny Garcia (5.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 K)
Notes
- UCF batters have hit at least one home run in three straight games, beginning with the second game of the doubleheader with Siena.
- Jordan Rathbone now leads the Knights with five RBIs on the season.
- Leading the team in stolen bases, Gephry Pena is now 4-4 on stolen base attempts in 2020.
- The Knights now lead the all-time series 74-48.
ON DECK
The Knights will hit the road for the first time this spring to take on Auburn in a three-game set starting on Friday at 6 p.m. at Plainsman Park.
DON'T MISS OUT
The UCF baseball team is set for its fourth season under head coach Greg Lovelady and will welcome seven teams from the 2019 NCAA Tournament to John Euliano Park in 2020. Click here or call (407) 823-1000 for ticket information.
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