MANHATTAN, Kan. – UCF baseball got five solid innings from starter Russell Sandefer, but Kansas State scored three runs in the sixth inning and went on to take Saturday’s Big 12 Conference contest by a score of 3-1 to even the weekend series.
K-State improved to 22-12 overall and 9-5 in Big 12 play with the victory, while the Knights fell to 19-15 and 4-10 in league play with the setback. The rubber match and final game of the series will come on Sunday afternoon from Kansas State’s Tointon Family Stadium.
After DeAmez Ross threw out a K-State runner at the plate to end the first inning, UCF got things going offensively with an early run in the top of the second to take 1-0 advantage. Antonio Jimenez led off the frame with a double to right and Lex Boedicker immediately followed by driving him home with an RBI single to left. The Knights looked for more in the inning by getting two runners aboard with two outs, but Kansas State starter Michael Quevedo responded with an inning-ending popout.
T2 | Boedicker gets us on the board first 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Nuxkdvjjls
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) April 12, 2025
In his first start as a Knight, the sophomore right-hander Sandefer got off to a strong start on the mound as he didn’t surrender a run over the first few innings. He retired the Wildcats in order in the second and managed to escape a few jams to keep K-State off the board through five innings of play. He gave the Black and Gold a season-high 5.0 innings of scoreless baseball and scattered five hits. Sandefer also tied a season-high with four strikeouts.
Make that five now 😎
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) April 12, 2025
5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 K, 2 BB https://t.co/Q7m9rMvyAv
With UCF having gone to the bullpen in the sixth, Kansas State managed to rally for three runs to take a 3-1 lead. With two on and one out, AJ Evasco plated two with a two-run double. Dee Kennedy then capped the scoring in the frame with an RBI single.
The Black and Gold bullpen was solid the rest of the way as they didn’t allow another run, but K-State reliever James Guyette was very good down the stretch for the Wildcats. Guyette pitched the final 4.1 innings and didn’t allow a hit or a run. He allowed just one base runner over his 4.1-inning outing and faced the minimum in three of his frames to help Kansas State pull out the victory.
Guyette earned the win in relief to move to 4-1, while UCF’s Kris Sosnowski was tagged with the loss to drop to 2-2. Kevin Schoneboom pitched for his second straight day for the Black and Gold and tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless and hitless relief.
Calise led UCF offensively in the game by going 2-for-3 and reaching base three times, while Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored and Boedicker finished 1-for-4 with an RBI. Sam Flores led K-State by going 2-for-3 with a double while Evasco went 1-for-4 with a two-run double.
The rubber match of the series will come on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT. The game will air live on ESPN+ as well as on the radio at 810 AM Orlando. Following Sunday’s contest, UCF will return home to face Florida A&M in midweek action on Tuesday before hosting No. 24 TCU for a Big 12 series next weekend.