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Baylor Hangs on to Take Game Two, 4-2

by James Warnick
Box Score

WACO, Texas – Matt Cedarburg hit out a late two-run home run and the UCF pitching staff limited Baylor to just four runs, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears held on to take game two of Friday’s doubleheader by a score of 4-2.

With the setback, the Knights (32-18, 13-15 Big 12) and Bears (22-30, 10-19 Big 12) split the Friday twin bill, as the Black and Gold claimed Friday’s first game by a score of 6-4. The rubber match and final game of the regular season for both squads will take place on Saturday afternoon.

With both starting pitchers putting up zeros into the fourth inning, BU managed to strike first by picking up an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. With a runner on second and two outs in the frame, Baylor’s Tyriq Kemp drove a ball to deep left-center, but UCF leftfielder Matt Prevesk made a fantastic catch on the full sprint to end the threat and keep it a one-run game.

With Baylor still holding to a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the sixth, the Bears threatened by loading the bases with two away. BU’s Kemp delivered the big hit with a bases-clearing double to left-center to extend the Bears’ lead to 4-0. All three runs were unearned, as the Black and Gold committed a defensive miscue earlier in the frame.

Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, Lex Boedicker led things off with a single. Cedarburg then promptly followed with a two-run homer to left-center to cut the deficit in half and make it a 4-2 game. The home run marked Cedarburg’s fourth of the season and travel 408 feet over the left-centerfield wall.

The Bears looked to answer in the bottom of the seventh by getting two runners aboard with two outs, but UCF freshman Tyler Kozera managed to pitch out of it by drawing an inning-ending groundout to send it to the eighth.

After the Knights went down in order in the top of the eighth, the Bears looked to add some insurance in the last of the frame by getting a pair of two-out hits. But UCF senior Cameron Crain came on and the Black and Gold defense managed to catch Kemp trying to steal home to end the threat.

UCF then had the heart of the order up in the ninth, but BU’s Andre Petrowski retired the Knights in order to earn the save and end the ballgame.

Baylor starter Ethan Calder surrendered just two runs on four hits over 7.0 innings to improve to 5-3 on the season. Petrowski then tossed the final two innings of scoreless relief to record his first save. Despite a strong start from Black and Gold starter Dom Stagliano, the UCF right-hander was tagged with the loss to drop to 3-4 on the season after allowing just one unearned run on four hits over 4.0 innings. Kyle Kramer, Kozera, and Crain then all pitched well down the stretch in the ballgame for the Black and Gold.

The senior Cedarburg led the Black and Gold offense by going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Braden Calise and Boedicker followed by each adding hits in the contest for the Knights. Kemp paced Baylor by going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in.

Earlier in the day, UCF took the first game of the twin bill by a score of 6-4 thanks to six strong innings from starter Ben Vespi. To read more about Friday’s first game of the doubleheader, click HERE.

The rubber match and regular-season finale for both teams will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. Following Saturday’s contest, UCF will head to Arlington, Texas, to compete at the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship with a first-round matchup on Tuesday. The conference tournament will run Tuesday through Saturday, May 21-25, at Globe Life Field. The Knights are currently in ninth place in the league standings with a 13-15 conference record.