Orlando, Fla. – The UCF baseball team swept a doubleheader against South Florida to open the four-game series on Friday, as the Knights move one step closer to clinching the all-sport War on I-4 season series. The Black & Gold shutout South Florida in game one, 6-0, and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 5-2 win in game two.
Game One | UCF (15-18, 5-4 AAC) – 6, South Florida (12-15, 2-3 AAC) – 0
UCF pitching was spectacular in the first game of the day; Colton Gordon threw seven scoreless innings fanning seven Bulls. Zack Hunsicker then pitched two scoreless innings to seal the victory for the Knights.
South Florida starter Jack Jasiak held the UCF bats in check for the first three innings. In the fourth innings, that would change, however. Alex Freeland took a 2-2 pitch to deep right-center field for his fourth of the year, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. The very next batter, Josh Crouch, hit the ball to the exact same spot as Freeland to extending the lead to 2-0. Ben McCabe drove in another run in the fifth, adding to the UCF lead.
Both teams were held in check for the next two innings until Pablo Ruiz came up in the eighth inning with two runners on. He took an 0-1 pitch to deep left field to give the Knights a 6-0 lead.
Zack Hunsicker closed the game out in the 9th with a double play to end the game.
Winning Pitcher: Colton Gordon (5-2)
Losing Pitcher: Zach Segal (2-5)
Top Pitcher: Colton Gordon (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 7 K)
Top Hitters: Pablo Ruiz (3-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, 2B), Josh Crouch (2-2, HR, 2 BB, R, RBI), Alex Freeland (1-4, HR, R, RBI)
Notables:
- Gephry Pena extended his on-base streak to 32 when he reached base on a dropped third strike in the first inning
- The Knights are now 6-3 in series-opening contests
Game Two | UCF (16-18, 6-4 AAC) – 5, South Florida (12-16, 2-4 AAC) – 2
The Knights got going early, scoring one on a John Montes single in the second that plated Andrew Brait in the 2nd. The following inning, UCF would add three more runs on a two-RBI single by Alex Freeland then an RBI single by Pablo Ruiz, making the score 3-0.
The Bulls would get one back off of starter Kenny Serwa in the 4th, making it a 3-1 game. Serwa pitched four innings giving up one earned run and striking out four which was good enough for his first win this season.
South Florida would add another run in the 6th inning on a ground out, but that would be the last run they'd score on the day.
Montes drove in another run on a sacrifice fly that scored Brait to pad the UCF lead.
The UCF bullpen was lights out. Billy McKay, Hunter Patteson, and David Litchfield pitched a combined five innings of one-run ball, striking out seven Bulls en route to the victory.
Winning Pitcher: Kenny Serwa (1-2)
Losing Pitcher: Collin Sullivan (1-1)
Top Pitcher: David Litchfield (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K)
Top Hitters: Andrew Brait (3-4, 3 R), Alex Freeland (3-4, R, 2 RBI), Ben McCabe (2-4, 1 R)
Notables:
- Gephry Pena extended on-base streak to 33 games with a first-inning walk
- Pablo Ruiz led the team with four RBIs across the two games
- The doubleheader sweep is the first of the year for UCF
- The Knights are now 11-10 against opponents from the Sunshine State.
- UCF now leads the War on I-4 all-sport season series 42-16.5. One more win would clinch the 2020-21 War on I-4 title for the Knights
Next Up
The Knights look for the series win against South Florida on Saturday, with a 4 p.m. first pitch for game three. UCF and South Florida will close the War On I4 on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. first pitch. The Black and Gold have the opportunity to clinch the all-sport 2020-21 War on I-4 title with just one win over the Bulls.
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