The UCF Knights dropped the first of a three game set against the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers 4-1 on Friday night. This loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Knights.
“We have to try to do what we did last week,” UCF center fielder DeAmez Ross said. “We dropped Thursday’s game, and then we won Friday and Saturday. We’re definitely capable of winning that right there, and we should have won that game.”
UCF outhit West Virginia nine to one, but were unable to score these runners. Meanwhile, West Virginia drew four walks and had six batters hit by pitches.
“That’s 15 free bases,” UCF coach Rich Wallace said. “That’s the situation we created for them. Credit to them, they got a couple of sacflies.”
The start of the game saw West Virginia’s leadoff hitter, center fielder Skylar King, get hit by the second pitch. This free base runner ended up not scoring, as King was caught stealing after a strikeout for a double play. The final out in the frame came off a groundout to UCF second baseman Braden Calise.
In the bottom of the first, UCF’s leadoff hitter also reached base, with a single by Ross sailing over the head of the second baseman. A flyout and two groundouts followed for the Knights, stranding Ross in scoring position after he advanced to second on the first grounder.
Wicker began the second similar to how he did in the first, walking the first batter he saw. A ground ball led to a fielder’s choice, where the ball was thrown to second for the force. The runner who reached on the choice, Mountaineers left fielder Kyle West, was picked off for the second out of the inning. A lineout to center ended the second for Wicker.
West Virginia’s starter, Griffin Kirn, put up a 1-2-3 inning during the bottom second. Kirn’s inning featured a strikeout, fly out, and lineout. Wicker responded with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, collecting two strikeouts of his own.
This trend ended in the next inning, as Calise hit a ball into right center, where he legged out a close double. Following a flyout, Ross hit into a double play to end the inning.
To start the next frame, Wicker hit his leadoff batter in just four innings. Wicker locked down the inning after the misfire, getting three straight outs.
Knights shortstop Antonio Jimenez smacked the second-straight leadoff hit for UCF in the bottom of the fourth. The next two batters lined out, but West Virginia second baseman Gavin Kelly airmailed a throw to first, landing in the UCF dugout. This allowed Jimenez to advance to third, putting him 90 feet from the plate. UCF first baseman Lex Boedicker hit a liner right back at the pitcher, but Kirn was still able to turn the play and save a run.
Wicker lost his control in the top of the fifth, as he hit back-to-back batters with pitches. He then walked the next batter, loading the bases with one out. A flyout by Mountaineers third baseman Spencer Barnett allowed Grant Hussey to score the first run of the game. However, on the same play, Brodie Kresser left second base early, and was picked off for an inning-ending double play.
Trailing by a run, the Knights needed to rally. Yet, the bottom of the fifth started with two straight outs, both groundouts to the right side of the infield. Calise was able to reach first on a throwing error by Kresser, and Kirn hit Knights captain Dylan King with a pitch to put two on with two outs. Ross came through for UCF, smacking a ball into center for the tying run. This ended Kirn’s night, but his replacement, Reese Bassinger, collected the final out of the inning.
Wicker’s outing was also complete after the fifth, being pulled for senior Dom Stagliano. Stagliano was able to go 1-2-3 to start his appearance.
UCF’s Andrew Williamson hit a single to start the bottom of the sixth. Williamson stole second, and Boedicker was walked, putting two runners on with one out. The Knights could not capitalize, as the next two batters grounded out to end the inning.
Coming into the seventh, the Mountaineers were held hitless. This changed with one out in the frame, as left fielder Kyle West singled into left for their first hit of the contest. Stagliano walked the next batter, mirroring the situation the Knights had in the last inning. This ended his appearance, being replaced by Dom Castellano.
During Castellano’s first at-bat, runners stole both second and third. Then, Kresser had a sacrifice fly, scoring the runner from third and taking the lead once more. A groundout ended the inning, but the damage was already done against the Knights.
After the seventh-inning stretch, UCF threatened to tie the game again. King hit a single off the third baseman’s glove, which knocked Bassinger out of the contest. Replacing him was sophomore reliever Chase Meyer, who gave up an immediate single to Ross. Unfortunately for the Knights Jimenez lined out to short, where King was picked off for a double play.
In the eighth inning, the Mountaineers extended their lead. The first batter reached base on a throwing error by Castellano. West Virginia’s King had his third hit by pitch of the game, where he then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Sauve was walked, loading the bases with no outs. Mountaineers designated hitter Sam White hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 3-1.
After this meltdown, Castellano was pulled for Kevin Schoneboom, who came on the mound in a jam. Another double steal occurred, and a groundout scored the second run in the inning. Schoneboom struck out the final batter, ending the nightmare inning.
The Knights were looking to respond, and put themselves in a good position to score. Andrew Sundean and Williamson hit back-to-back singles, and Boedicker was walked to load the bases with no outs. Unlike their opponents, UCF could not capitalize on their opportunity. The next two batters for the Knights struck out, and a groundout quickly put their rally to rest.
To start off the final frame, Schoneboom sent down the first two batters. He then hit Kelly, marking the sixth batter hit by a pitch for West Virginia. Kelly stole second, but the batter struck out for the final out.
The bottom of the ninth was the final chance for the Knights to come back. A leadoff walk led Meyer to be taken out of the game, being replaced by junior Carson Estridge. The first pitch that he threw hit Ross, putting two on with no outs. Estridge collected himself, striking out Jimenez for the first out and getting a game-ending double play.
With runners in scoring positions, the Knights hit an abysmal 1/14 with runners in scoring position, which was the story of the game.
“Those guys are on the mound at that moment, they’re going to deliver with their best stuff,” Wallace said. “You’ve got to match that offense, you gotta match that intensity.”
Next Up
UCF will look to bounce back and tie up the series against the Mountaineers Saturday night. For them to do so, the Knights must collect hits in high-pressure situations. Russell Sandefer is on the mound, looking for his second straight win.
“Similar to last week, I’d like to see Russell Sandefer go out there and compete for us,” Wallace said. “When we get our shot on offense, somebody’s gotta deliver.”
First pitch against the Mountaineers is set for 6:00 pm on Apr. 26.