Troy, Ala. – After a three-hour delay to start the weekend series, the Knights defeated Troy in the first game of the season, 6-3. Led by Colton Gordon, the UCF pitching staff fanned 19 batters in the game to tie the single-game record, which last happened against Oklahoma on May 11, 2018.
Starting pitcher, Colton Gordon gave up a couple of hard-hit balls in his first inning of work, including a game-tying solo home, but he would settle in to toss a career-high 14 strikeouts in his six innings of work.
UCF started the contest by plating runs in each of the first three innings of the game. Pablo Ruiz led the charge for the Knights, driving in a pair with a double in the second inning, and later came around to score on a Gephry Pena groundout.
Continuing to show the power bat, Jordan Rathbone slugged his sixth home run of the season in the third inning, a solo shot to give the Knights a 5-1 lead. Ben McCabe added an RBI to his season total as he drove in Alex Freeland in the seventh to push UCF's advantage to 6-2.
The Trojans plated a run of their own in the bottom half of the fifth, and again in the ninth but were unable to complete a comeback.
UCF (10-11) – 6, Troy (11-1-) – 3
Winning Pitcher: Colton Gordon (3-2)
Losing Pitcher: Orlando Ortiz (2-3)
Top Hitters: Pablo Ruiz (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Jordan Rathbone (1-4, 1 RBI, 1 HR), Ben McCabe (1-5, 2 RBI), Andrew Brait (2-4, 2B, 1 R)
Top Pitchers: Colton Gordon (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 14 K)
Notable Stats
- Friday night starter Colton Gordon continues to shine, tossing 6.0 IP in the game and picking up 14 strikeouts
- Gordon's 14 strikeouts are UCF's most since Brett Bordwine tossed 14 Ks for the Black and Gold against Northeastern in March 2007.
- Colton Gordon has made six starts in 2021 and has not allowed more than two earned runs in a single outing.
- Jordan Rathbone's third inning home run was his sixth of the year, second only to Ben McCabe with eight
- Ben McCabe's RBI total is now 27 after picking up two on Friday and leads the American Athletic Conference
- The Knights have now won six straight against Troy and sit 18-9 all-time against the Trojans.
Next Up
The UCF baseball team returns to Riddle-Pace Field on Saturday for game two of the three-game set with the Trojans, first pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET. The two teams will close the weekend series on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET before UCF returns home to close the non-conference season at John Euliano Park on Tuesday against Jacksonville.
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