Jacksonville, Fla. – In the third game of the series with UNF, the UCF baseball team fell to the Ospreys on the road Saturday night, 14-7. The Knights jumped out to an early lead in the first but was trailing by the third inning and was unable to regain the lead.
Freshman Alex Freeland got the Knights going with a solo home run in the top of the first to give UCF the first lead of the game for the ninth time this season.
North Florida offense took a 2-1 lead in the third inning, after taking advantage of a couple errors with some timely hitting. The fourth inning saw more of the same, as the Ospreys would tack on six to take a 8-1 lead.
Showing some life in the eighth inning, Connor Allen smashed his first home run as a Knight, a two-run pinch hit home run. UCF added a pair in the ninth as well after Trent Taylor and Jordan Rathbone combined with a triple and a base knock.
Each team would score six in the last four frames of the contest as the Knights fell 14-7.
UNF (5-10) – 14, UCF (5-9) – 7
Winning Pitcher: Austin Bogart (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Hunter Patteson (0-2)
Top Hitters: Alex Freeland (2-4, 2 R, 1 HR), Gephry Pena (2-3, 1 R), Connor Allen (1-2, 2 RBI, 1 HR)
Top Pitchers: Zack Bennett (1.1 IP, 2 K, 1 BB)
Notable Stats
- UCF leads the all-time series against UNF, 13-12
- The Black & Gold falls to 3-4 against Sunshine State teams in 2021
- Gephry Pena's on base streak is extended to 18 straight games, dating back to March 6, 2020
- Alex Freeland's first inning home run was his third of the year, and second in as many nights.
- The eighth inning two-run home run off the bat of Connor Allen was his first as a Knight
- UCF has three multi-home run games in a row, and five in 2021
ON DECK
The Knights and Ospreys will return to Orlando, Fla. to conclude series on Sunday, Mar. 14 at 2:00 p.m. UCF will then welcome Florida Atlantic to John Euliano Park for the final game of the season series on Tuesday, March 16 with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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