Baseball Knocks off Missouri to Move to 4-0Baseball Knocks off Missouri to Move to 4-0

Baseball Knocks off Missouri to Move to 4-0

by Nick Porcelli
Box Score

ORLANDO – UCF baseball started off its four-game weekend with a bang, defeating the Missouri Tigers 7-1. With the win, the Knights start their season with a 4-0 record for the second straight year and the fifth time in the past seven seasons.

“Just really pleased with the effort the guys gave.” UCF head coach Rich Wallace said. “Obviously, the start by Matt Sauser was outstanding. Followed by everyone that came out of the bullpen. The guys also played well defensively to take a couple of hits away. And the offense managed to piece together some big hits to get us some separation in the middle innings.”

The Black and Gold would first get on the board in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-RBI double from Andrew Sundean. The Knights would then tack on two more runs in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run home run off the foul pole in right from Andrew Williamson, his first of the season.

UCF would score its final three runs in the bottom of the fifth, with two runs coming from a Lex Boedicker two-run single and one from a sacrifice fly hit by Sundean that sent Williamson home.

Leading the way for the Knights offensively in the contest was DeAmez Ross. In five plate appearances he recorded three hits, which accounted for a third of the team’s hit total. Sundean was next by going 1-for-2 with a double and a game-high three RBIs. Both Boedicker and Williamson would end the day with two RBIs apiece. In total, six Knights recorded at least one hit.

Getting the win for UCF on the mound was sophomore transfer Matt Sauser. In his UCF and season debut, the Florida State transfer allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.0 shutout innings.

“He (Sauser) was in control of it, and I thought he got better and better and better as he was going,” Wallace said.

UCF continued its streak of great performances from its bullpen on the young season. A trio of right-handers—Spencer Bauer, Angelo Smith, and Kevin Schoneboom—combined to face 19 batters in five innings. They gave up only one hit and one run. The trio also struck out six while walking just two. The only hit they allowed came on a home run from Mizzou’s Kaden Peer in the sixth. All four UCF hurlers on the evening finished with multiple strikeouts, as the four Black and Gold pitchers combined to fan 10 batters.

The victory not only marked UCF’s fourth straight of the young season but also the team’s third in a row over an SEC opponent. The Black and Gold’s last loss to an SEC foe came on March 6, 2022, to Ole Miss.   

The Knights will be back at John Euliano Park on Friday for the first of a three-game series against Bryant. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. and senior right-hander Dom Stagliano is scheduled to get the start. Saturday’s game is also scheduled for 6 p.m. and the series will close on Sunday at 1 p.m. Following the Bryant series, the Knights host Florida Atlantic in their fifth game in six days on Tuesday before traveling to Tampa to take on rival South Florida in a three-game series beginning next Friday.