Orlando, Fla. – After splitting the series opening doubleheader, the Knights were unable to gain the advantage in the series over Wichita State, falling 10-3 in Saturday's matchup.
Wichita State took an early lead with a two-run home run in the first. UCF promptly responded with a pair of runs off in the bottom half, the first came off of a Josh Crouch double down the left field line., followed by a Ben McCabe groundout to drive in the second run.
The Shockers went on to score in every inning for the first five innings of the game, highlighted by four runs in the fifth inning off of a grand slam to make the score 10-2.
Alex Freeland provided a sacrifice fly in UCF's half of the fifth, driving in Jordan Rathbone after he doubled to open the inning.
Relief pitcher Ryan Saltonstall entered the game in the seventh inning and managed to hold the Wichita State offense hitless in his 3.0 IP appearance to end the contest
Wichita State (24-18, 12-10 AAC) – 10, UCF (23-24, 13-10 AAC) – 3
Winning Pitcher: Liam Eddy (4-7)
Losing Pitcher: Jack Sinclair (3-5)
Top Pitcher: Ryan Saltonstall (3.0 IP, 3 K, 0 R), Zack Hunsicker (3.0 IP, 3 K, 4 R, 0 ER)
Top Hitters: Jordan Rathbone (2-4, 2B, 2 R), Pablo Ruiz (3-4, 2B)
Notables
- The Knights are now 4-5 all-time against Wichita State.
- Greg Lovelady remains one win away from 150 wins as head coach of the UCF baseball team.
- Josh Crouch has hit a double in four of his last five games. He is also hitting a .400 clip during that time frame.
- Ryan Saltonstall's 3.0 IP outing is the longest of his season, and second longest relief appearance of his career.
Next Up
The Knights will return to John Euliano Park on Sunday at 12 p.m. to close the series out with the Shockers.
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