CLEARWATER, Fla. – The in-state rivalry made its way to BayCare Ballpark as the No. 4 UCF baseball team took on No. 8 South Florida Thursday afternoon in its second game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship presented by Visit St. Pete Clearwater. The Knights fell to the Bulls, 15-4 in an eight-inning game.
"We didn't quit – we didn't roll over. We kept trying to put together good at bats, but we needed that a lot earlier in the game," UCF head coach Greg Lovelady said. "We're prepared for this. We've done this and been able to come back and play well. We've just got to have short memories and come back tomorrow ready to go."
The Knights trailed for the first time in the tournament as the Bulls got up early, scoring two runs in the first three innings.
Evening the score to end the fourth, two runs came across for the Knights, one by way of an Andrew Sundean RBI double and one on a bases-loaded error drawn by Andrew Brait.
South Florida broke out in the middle innings, scoring nine runs in the fifth and sixth to take a convincing lead over the Knights.
UCF put together some good at bats in the seventh inning, as Matt Cedarburg drilled a single up the middle and Corey Robinson doubled down the left field line to score Cedarburg. Three back-to-back walks drawn by Brady Shannon, Ryan Taylor and Lex Boedicker got across the final Knights' run of the contest.
Adding two more in the final frame, the Bulls ended the game in eight innings.
"We've got to be ready to play clean baseball tomorrow," Lovelady said. "Bring the energy, compete for the first pitch and don't give up."
The Knights will play again at 1 p.m. Friday, May 26 against East Carolina with a chance to advance to the semifinals with a win.