Cincinnati, Ohio – After opening the series splitting the Friday doubleheader, the UCF baseball team defeated Cincinnati on Sunday, 20-10. As a team, the Knights earned a program record 20 walks in a single game, topping the previous record of 19 walks, set in 1982.
It was a team effort, as every Knight that had an at bat reached base at least once and 10 different players scored a run for the Black & Gold. UCF also plated at least one run in eight of the nine innings and collected 14 hits, in addition to the 20 walks as a team, to score a season-high 20 runs in the victory.
Josh Crouch brought his power bat to Cincinnati, slugging two no doubt home runs, both to left, on his way to four RBI in the game. The junior was one of six Knights to drive in at least one run on the night. Gephry Pena and Jordan Rathbone each drove in a quartet of runs while Ben McCabe drove in three and Tom Josten pushed across a pair. Pena and Rathbone each finished 3-for-4 with a double, Pena scored four runs while Rathbone crossed three times.
The Knights scored in nearly every inning, with the most coming in the sixth and ninth with four. Going a long way towards setting the single game walk-record, UCF batters earned seven walks in the sixth inning to score four runs to make it 14-7. In the ninth, McCabe plated Rathbone with a sac fly for his third RBI of the day, to make it 17-10. Two batters later, Josh Crouch hit a three-run home run into the lawn beyond left field, his second long ball of the day.
UCF (14-17, 4-3 AAC) – 20, Cincinnati (12-16, 1-6 AAC) – 10
Winning Pitcher: Hunter Patteson (1-2)
Losing Pitcher: Aiden Bradbury (2-1)
Top Hitters: Josh Crouch (2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB), Gephry Pena (3-4, 4 RBI, 4 R, 2B, 3 BB), Jordan Rathbone (3-4, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB)
Top Pitchers: Hunter Patteson (3.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 K), Zack Bennett (2.0 IP, 2 R, 6 K)
NOTES
- The Knights increase the lead in the all-time series vs. Cincinnati to 14-8
- UCF's 20 walks as a team sets a new single-game record, beating the previous record of 19, set in 1982 against LIU-Brooklyn
- The Knights have now scored 10 runs or more, seven times this season
- Gephry Pena's on-base streak increases to 30 games after the 3-for-4 performance in the contest – the streak dates back to March 6, 2020
- Josh Crouch's two home run day is the first of his career, and he's up to six HRs on the year.
Next Up
The Knights look for the series win against Cincinnati on Sunday, with a 12 p.m. first pitch for the series finale. UCF will welcome South Florida to John Euliano Park for the continuation of the 2021 edition of the War on I-4, with a four game set beginning on Friday.
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