The Black and Gold got back-to-back hits in the bottom of the first from Matt Prevesk and Jack Zyska to put runners on the corners with nobody out in the frame. Boedicker then drove in the first run of the with an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 1-0 Knights.
Both starting pitchers looked strong in the early innings, as they combined to allow just five hits and one run over the first five innings.
UCF then tacked on a run in the last of the sixth to take a 2-0 lead. Boedicker singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. After a walk drawn by Andrew Sundean put runners on the corners, the senior Neri drove Boedicker home from third with an RBI single to right to give the Black and Gold a much-needed insurance run.
The Red Raiders (18-9, 4-7 Big 12) then got their first extra-base hit of the game in the seventh with a one-out double from Owen Washburn. He later came in to score thanks to a two-out RBI hit from TJ Pompey to make it a 2-1 game.
With the UCF closer Centala on the bump, the Knight senior pitched around a one-out hit in the eighth by retiring the next two hitters he faced in the frame to strand the runner. He then came back out for the ninth and mowed down the Red Raiders in order with a groundout, strikeout and popout to end the ballgame to record the eight-out save.
Over his 6.1 innings, Stagliano issued just one free pass and allowed just four baserunners to reach off of him. Centala then followed allowing just two baserunners to reach over the final 2.2 innings while not walking a batter.
With Centala’s strong outing in the late innings, the UCF bullpen hasn’t given up a run in 17.1 consecutive innings of relief. With the victory, the Knights also improve to 8-1 on the season in one-run games.
Offensively, Neri led the Black and Gold by going 1-for-3 with an RBI while Boedicker finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Prevesk, Sundean and Zyska also all recorded hits for the Knights on the evening. Pompey paced Texas Tech by going 3-for-3 with the team’s lone RBI.
“Winning three straight series in a row is a really big deal. I don’t care what conference you are playing in, winning three consecutive conference series takes a lot, and takes a whole team effort,” the senior Neri said. “We only had five hits but managed to find a way to get it done. I’m really proud of the way that we handled it and I’m hoping that we can keep things going.”
The Knights will go for their first Big 12 series sweep on Saturday afternoon. First pitch for the series finale is set for 1 p.m. from John Euliano Park. Following Saturday’s series finale, the Black and Gold will head to Daytona Beach to face Bethune-Cookman at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Tuesday, April 2, before returning to John Euliano Park for four games later in the week.
