ORLANDO – Tyler Nesbitt tossed 4.1 scoreless innings and four different players drove in multiple runs en route to leading UCF to a 10-3 midweek victory over North Florida on Tuesday night at John Euliano Park.
AJ Nessler led the way by going 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, and two runs batted in, while Jack Zyska went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Matt Prevesk also had two hits and drove in two runs, while Lex Boedicker plated two runs of his own via a fourth-inning home run.
The Knights, who are currently receiving votes for this week’s ESPN/USA Today Coaches and NCBWA polls, improved to 22-12 with the victory, while UNF dropped to 17-17 with the loss. UCF also moved 8-1 on the year in midweek action and 10-2 against Sunshine State competition with the win.
“After dropping three hard-fought games last weekend, to get back here and play like we did in spurts tonight, I couldn’t be happier. Especially with Tyler Nesbitt and what he did out on the mound. With him not having started a game in a while and to go out there and get us into the game and control the game, we don’t do that without him,” head UCF coach Rich Wallace said.
Scoreless in the fourth, Zyska reached on a one-out single and Boedicker followed with a no-doubt two-run home run to right-center to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. The round tripper marked Boedicker’s third of the season and third of his career against the Ospreys.
UCF then tacked on three more runs in the fifth to extend its advantage to 5-0. With two on and nobody out, Nessler dropped down a bunt single and Andrew Williamson was able to score on a UNF throwing miscue for the first run of the frame. Andrew Brait then drove in Mikey Kluska with a sacrifice fly and Zyska capped the scoring with an RBI single up the middle.
Holding to a 5-3 advantage in the seventh, the Black and Gold got a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the frame to extend their lead to 7-3. Nessler and Brait on first and second with nobody out, Prevesk singled home Nessler to make it 6-3. Zyska then followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Knights the four-run cushion.
After Najer Victor struck out the side in the top of the eighth, UCF then tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game away. Nessler had the big hit of the inning with a two-run double to right and Prevesk capped the scoring with an RBI single.
Victor then finished off the Ospreys in the ninth by retiring the side in order.
Tyler Nesbitt picked up the win to improve to 1-1 on the year. The right-hander gave up just two hits and no runs while striking out a batter of 4.1 innings. UNF reliever Jordan Wimpelberg was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs in an inning of work.
The ballgame marked the first of eight consecutive home games for UCF.
The Knights will continue the homestand by welcoming Central Michigan to John Euliano Park for a non-conference series this weekend. The series has been altered to a three-game set with games now on Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.