ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF baseball team evened the War on I-4 series in the final game in Tampa with a 3-0 shutout over the Bulls. AJ Jones got the starting nod, tossing 7.0 innings to earn his third win of the year.
Alex Freeland got the scoring going for the Knights, with an RBI single to plate Gephry Pena in the third inning. The freshman, John Montes started the fourth with a single and capitalized on a South Florida defensive error to cross the plate make the score 2-0 for the Knights. Alex Freeland got UCF going again in the fifth with a double in the right-center gap and was driven in on a sac fly from John Montes' bat.
The Bulls couldn't figure out Jones, who went 7.0 IP without allowing a hit until the seventh inning of the contest. David Litchfield took over on the mound with no outs and two runners on in the eighth and retired six straight to earn the save and the victory over USF.
UCF (12-16) – 3, South Florida (12-14) – 0
Winning Pitcher: AJ Jones (3-2)
Losing Pitcher: Brad Lord (1-3)
Top Hitters: Alex Freeland (3-5, 2B, 1 RBI), John Montes (1-2, 1 RBI)
Top Pitchers: AJ Jones (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K), David Litchfield (2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 K)
NOTES
- The Knights cut USF's all-time lead on the series to 74-70
- 7.0 innings is a career-high for AJ Jones, as he picked up his third win of the season
- Freshman Alex Freeland collected more than half of UCF's hits on the day, going 3-5 with a double, a run, and an RBI
- Gephry Pena's on-base streak increases to 27 games after earning a hit and a walk in the contest – the streak dates back to March 6, 2020
- Pena picked up his 12th stolen base of the year in the third inning
WAR ON I4
- With the victory, the UCF baseball team picks up .75 pts to extend the Knights lead in the all-sports to 31.5- 16.5
- Each game is worth .75 points for a total of six points available to each program by the conclusion of the eight games. (8 games x .75 pts = 6 total points)
- Fans can follow the 2020-21 War on I-4 all-sport season series here: https://www.war-on-i4.com/
Next Up
The Knights will continue American Athletic Conference play next weekend as they travel to Cincinnati for another four-game set, beginning Fri. April 9. UCF returns to John Euliano Park on Fri. April 15, to continue the War on I-4.
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