ORLANDO, Fla. – ECU Baseball (20-15, 5-2) scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to defeat UCF Baseball (21-13, 5-2), 12-7 on Thursday. Connor Staine was charged with his first loss of the season, finding his 33.2 innings streak of not allowing an earned run to come to an end.
The Knights opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Noah Orlando grounded out to second to score Gephry Pena from third. Lex Boedicker increased the lead to 2-0, on his first career home run to right center field, just below the scoreboard.
ECU responded with a pair of runs in the second to tie the ballgame at two apiece. In the third, UCF regained the lead with a four-run half inning. Ben McCabe drove in a pair on a single up the middle, while Andrew Sundean singled to right field and advanced to second on an error to score Boedicker and McCabe, pushing the lead to 6-2.
The Pirates once again responded in the top of the fourth, scoring a season high 10 runs to take the lead from UCF. The Knights add a run in the eighth off a Michael Brooks sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 12-7.
Chase Centala worked 1.1 innings of four hit baseball, striking out three batters in relief. Both Dominic Castellano and Jacob Marlowe posted two innings of one-hit baseball down the stretch, each recording a strikeout on the night.
SCORING MOMENTS
BOTTOM 1st | ECU 0 – UCF 2 | Noah Orlando grounds out to second to score Gephry Pena. Lex Boedicker hits a solo home run to right center field.
TOP 2nd | ECU 2 – UCF 2 | ECU scores a pair to tie the ballgame.
BOTTOM 3rd | ECU 2 – UCF 6 | Ben McCabe singles up the middle to drive in Pena and Orlando. Andrew Sundean singles to right and advances to second on an error to score Boedicker and McCabe.
TOP 4th | ECU 12 – UCF 6 | ECU scores 10 to take the lead.
BOTTOM 8th | ECU 12 – UCF 7 | Michael Brooks hits a sacrifice fly to center field to score Sundean.
GAME NOTES
- Lex Boedicker hit his first career home run on Thursday night, a solo shot to right center field.
- Connor Staine lost his first game this season, allowing four earned runs. Staine falls to 4-1 on the year and let up a season high nine hits.
- Gephry Pena stole two more bases on Thursday afternoon, moving him to 22 on the season. Pena is now just nine stolen bases away from cracking the top-10 for single season stolen bases at 31.
- Four different Knights had multi-hit games on Thursday including, Pena, Noah Orlando, Lex Boedicker and Andrew Sundean.
- Andrew Sundean increased his hitting streak to 13 games on Thursday evening.
UP NEXT
UCF and ECU will continue the three-game set on Friday evening at John Euliano Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.