ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 14 Knights teed off in their midweek contest against Jacksonville, blasting four home runs on their way to a 6-0 victory Tuesday night. UCF has now defeated the Dolphins eight of the last 10 times the two programs have met and the Black and Gold moves to 12-2 on the season.
The Knights relied on solid pitching early in the contest as five pitchers combined to allow just two hits in the contest. Jaylyn Whitehead got the starting nod for the second midweek matchup in a row, holding Jacksonville scoreless for 3.2 innings.
UCF's offense woke up in the sixth inning in a big way, as the Knights put up four runs on three homers in the inning. Tom Josten got the show started for UCF, putting a dent in the hood of a car in the outfield parking lot. Two batters later, Dalton Wingo and Pablo Ruiz sent back-to-back solo shots over the left field wall to give the Knights a 3-0 lead. Matt Archer capped off the inning with an RBI single.
With a lead intact, the UCF bullpen sealed the deal as Jack Sinclair and Nick Gottilla each tossed 2.0 innings and continued to hold Jacksonville scoreless. In the last four frames of the game.
Pablo Ruiz extended the lead in his final at-bat, homering again in the bottom of the eighth inning – this time a two-run shot to give UCF a 6-0 lead heading into the ninth inning.
Winning Pitcher: Jaylyn Whitehead (3-0)
Losing Pitcher: AJ Jones (1-1)
Top Pitchers: Jaylyn Whitehead (3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K), Nick Gottilla (2.0 IP, 3 K)
Top Hitters: Dalton Wingo (4-4, 1 2B, 1 HR), Pablo Ruiz (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Tom Josten (1-4, 1 HR)
Key Stats
- The last time the Knights had back-to-back home runs was May 14, 2019 when Dalton Wingo and Dallas Beaver accomplished the feat.
- Pablo Ruiz is the latest Knight to have a two-home run game – the last Knight with a two-home run performance was Dalton Wingo on May 14, 2019 at FAU.
- With Pablo Ruiz's two-home run performance, he earned the #SkinnerStrong Player of the Game and will wear No. 38 on Friday in game one against Butler.
- The UCF pitching staff combined to throw a two-hitter against Jacksonville, the second of the young 2020 campaign.
- The win over Jacksonville marks the second straight midweek victory for UCF. The Knights are now 2-1 in midweek contests.
ON DECK
The Knights continue their homestand this weekend as they host the Butler Bulldogs for a three-game set at John Euliano Park. Game one is set for Friday at 6 p.m., first pitch for game two is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. and the two programs will close the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The three-game series can be streamed on twitch.tv/ucfknightstv1.
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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