ORLANDO, Fla. – The Knights fell to the Stetson Hatters, 7-0 in their first midweek contest of the young season.
Gephry Pena went 1-for-2 with a single and reach based by a walk. Jordan Rathbone, Alex Freeland and John Montes also added singles to the contest.
The offense could not find an answer to Stetson starter Bret Neilan. The righty tossed 5.2 innings with a pair strikeouts and was able to work around three walks to hold the Knights scoreless.
UCF found themselves behind early after the Hatters jumped out to an early lead, scoring four in the first inning. The Knights pitching staff settled down after that inning, only allowing three more runs through the rest of the game.
Stetson (5-0) 7 - UCF (1-3) 0
Winning Pitcher: Bret Neilan (1-0, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 0 ER)
Losing Pitcher: Zack Hunsicker (0-1, 1.0 IP, 4 H, 1 K, 4 ER)
Top Pitcher: Ben Vespi (2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 0 ER)
Notes:
- The Knights maintain a lead in the all-time series 72-50.
- UCF was shutout for the first time since May 17, 2019 vs. Houston
- Six Knights pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts in the contest.
ON DECK
UCF will travel to Oxford, Miss. this weekend for a three-game set against the No. 1 team in the country, the Ole Miss Rebels. The first contest is set for Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday matchup at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and wrapping up with a 1:00 p.m. start on Sunday.
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