BOCA RATON, Fla.- UCF continued their win streak to start the season with a dominating 11-6 win over FAU in Boca Tuesday night.
Coming into this contest, UCF has opened the season scorching hot, winning all five of their games. UCF’s lineup also entered Tuesday night scorching hot with a .377 team batting average and 1.031 OPS. On the other hand, FAU swept Towson over the weekend and looked to keep their momentum.
FAU wasted no time getting on the board with a double courtesy of catcher John Schroeder in the bottom of the first. The Knights quickly responded when shortstop Mikey Kluska singled down the right field line to even score at one in the top of the second.
UCF would proceed to torch FAU pitching in the third, scoring seven runs on five hits and two walks. Knights DH Andrew Sundean extended the lead in the fourth to 9-1 with a hard hit ball to first base that ricocheted into right field. FAU pitchers struggled mightily to stop the bleeding. By the end of the seventh, UCF had 17 hits and 11 runs. In the bottom half of that inning, the Owls would finally add another run courtesy of a Dylan LaPointe solo home run to make it an 11-2 deficit.
In the ninth, FAU would make it interesting scoring four more runs to make it 11-6. However, it was too little, too late.
Knights starting pitcher Cade Boxrucker was very effective in this game. He threw five innings of one run ball, striking out six and allowing only two hits with zero walks. Wiley Hartley came into relief for UCF in the sixth and kept the Owls mostly in check.
FAU would use five total pitchers. Everyone except Max Martzolf and Kyle Beaty gave up a minimum of two earned runs.
“We’ve gotta be better, can’t give up a seven spot… especially in that inning we had first four guys with two strikes and couldn’t put them away,” said FAU head coach John McCormack postgame.
FAU will look to bounce back quickly as they host another team from the Sunshine State, UNF (North Florida), on Wednesday night at 6:30.
Speaking of Sunshine State matchups, UCF looks to push their winning streak to seven when they host rival USF on Friday night at 6:00.