Daytona Beach, Fla. – The No. 17 UCF baseball team tossed a combined one-hitter against Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night to earn a 6-0 victory. The victory marks the seventh straight win against the Wildcats, and the Knights now lead the all-time series 84-17.
Catching up with Coach after shutting out Bethune-Cookman on the road ?? pic.twitter.com/zYbP9pPsII
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) February 26, 2020
Jaylyn Whitehead got the starting nod for the first time this season and turned in a lights out performance for the Knights. Whitehead tossed a full 5.0 innings and rang up eight batters in the outing, earning his first win of 2020.
Jack Sinclair, Nick Gottilla, Billy McKay and David Litchfield combined to throw the final four innings of the game, each tossing 1.0 innings without allowing a single hit. Sinclair and Gottilla each picked up two strikeouts, while McKay and Litchfield both had one.
The Black and Gold offense struck first in the second inning when Nick Romano drove in his sixth RBI of the 2020 campaign. UCF continued to put pressure on the Wildcats, capitalizing on seven defensive errors to score every inning from the second to the sixth inning.
UCF (8-1) – 6, Bethune-Cookman (4-3) – 0
Winning Pitcher: Jaylyn Whitehead (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Norris Brady (0-2)
Top Hitters: Tom Josten (1-4, 2B), Connor Allen (2-2)
Top Pitchers: Jaylyn Whitehead (5.0 IP, 8 K, 1 H), Jack Sinclair (1.0 IP, 2 K), Nick Gottilla (1.0 IP, 2 K)
Notes
- With his double in tonight's contest, Tom Josten has hit at least one extra-base hit four games in a row.
- Jaylyn Whitehead's eight strikeouts were a career-high for the redshirt senior.
- The last time UCF started a season 8-1 was in 2017 when the Knights won the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship.
- The Knights series with Bethune-Cookman is the third-longest in program history; UCF now leads the all-time series 84-17
ON DECK
The Knights return to John Euliano Park for the first time in 10 days on Friday, Feb. 28 when they host Cal State Northridge at 6 p.m. to kick off a four-game series. Cal State Northridge is currently 7-0 in the 2020 campaign.
DON'T MISS OUT
The UCF baseball team is in 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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