Tallahassee, Fla. – The UCF baseball team took on No. 15 Florida State on the road Wednesday, battling the Seminoles into extra innings but ultimately falling in the 10th via walk-off, 6-5.
Despite 11 UCF hits in the game, the Florida State pitching staff proved too much for the Knights, who struck out 18 times and left 10 runners on base.
Florida State jumped out to the first lead in the game, driving in two in the third but the Knights answered immediately with a pair of hits, a walk and HBP to even the game at two. Retaking the lead, the Seminoles picked up back-to-back home runs in the fifth for a 4-2 lead.
In the eighth, Jordan Rathbone and Ben McCabe teamed up with a pair of doubles in response. McCabe's gapper drove in Rathbone, while McCabe was pushed across the plate by an Andrew Brait groundout, evening the game once again.
The Knights picked up their first lead of the game in the 10th inning, as
Andrew Brait crossed the plate after taking advantage of a Florida State defensive error from a batted ball by Pablo Ruiz. Florida State scored twice in the 10th to retake the lead and walk-off the Knights, earning a HBP and three walks in the inning.
UCF (9-11) – 5, Florida State (11-6) – 6
Winning Pitcher: Hunter Perdue (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: David Litchfield (2-2)
Top Hitters: Jordan Rathbone (2-4, 2 R), Pablo Ruiz (2-5, 2 RBI), Ben McCabe (1-4, 1 RBI 1 R)
Top Pitchers: Hunter Patteson (1.0 IP, 0 R, 1 K), Billy McKay (1.0 IP, 0 R, 1 K)
NOTABLES
- With 10 more games left against Sunshine State opponents, the Knights are 6-6 against Florida teams
- UCF falls to 7-36 all-time against the Seminoles
- The Knights are 2-2 against ranked opposition on the year, and 1-1 in extra-inning games with the walk-off over Liberty on Mar. 24
- With his seventh inning single, Gephry Pena's on-base streak extends to 20 straight games, dating back to March 6, 2020.
ON DECK
The Knights have a three-game set against Troy starting on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala. UCF and the Trojans will continue the series on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET and close the series at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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