ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF Baseball (11-4) split Friday's doubleheader with North Florida (5-11) , dropping game one 10-2, before rebounding with a 4-0 victory in the night cap. Connor Staine pitched a two-hit complete game shutout in seven innings in game two to pick up the win.
In game one, UNF stuck first scoring four runs off David Litchfield in the second. UCF responded in the bottom of the second as Trent Taylor doubled down the line in right to score Cole Russo. UNF would score six unanswered runs, before UCF got one back in the seventh.
In game two, Connor Staine had another stellar performance on the mound. The righty worked a complete game two-hit shutout in the back half of the double header. Staine struck out seven batters and has now worked 22.2 innings this season without allowing an earned run.
The Knights opened the scoring in the third, as Alex Freeland flew out to right field to score Michael Brooks and make it 1-0. In the fourth, Ben McCabe singled up the middle to score Pablo Ruiz from second, before Brooks reached on an error to score Noah Orlando from third. In the bottom of the sixth, Gephry Pena singled up the middle to score Brooks from third for an extra insurance run.
SCORING MOMENTS – GAME 1
TOP 2nd| UNF 4 – UCF 0 | UNF scores four in the top of the second to take the lead.
BOTTOM 2nd | UNF 4 – UCF 1 | Trent Taylor doubles down the line in right to score Cole Russo from second.
TOP 3rd | UNF 6 – UCF 1 | UNF adds a pair to extend the lead.
TOP 5th | UNF 9 – UCF 1 | UNF tacks on three more in the fifth.
TOP 6th | UNF 10 – UCF 1 | UNF adds another run on an error.
BOTTOM 7th | UNF 10 – UCF 2 | Alex Freeland singles through the left side to score Lex Boedicker from second.
SCORING MOMENTS – GAME 2
BOTTOM 3rd | UNF 0 – UCF 1 | Alex Freeland flies out to right field to score Michael Brooks from third.
BOTTOM 4th | UNF 0 – UCF 3 | Ben McCabe singles up the middle to score Pablo Ruiz from second. Michael Brooks reaches on an error to score Noah Orlando from third.
BOTTOM 6th | UNF 0 – UCF 4 | Gephry Pena singles through the left side to score Michael Brooks from third.
GAME NOTES
- UCF Baseball extended its active streak of avoiding being no-hit to 2,765 games on Friday.
- Connor Staine has now worked 22.2 innings of baseball without allowing an earned run.
- Staine retired the final 18 batters of the game in game two, in route to a two-hit complete game shutout.
- Staine struck out seven more batters tonight, leading the team with 27.
- The 19 hits in game one of the double header was a single game high for UCF this season.
- Head coach Greg Lovelady is now eight wins away from career win number 300.
UP NEXT
UCF will have the day off tomorrow, before heading to Jacksonville on Sunday to complete the three-game set with North Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.