The UCF Knights bounced back against the No. 25 TCU Horned Frogs Friday night, winning 5-1 in John Euliano Park. The Knights hit two home runs into right field and scored three more runs en route to their first home win in the Big XII in a month.
Before the game, there was a moment of silence held for the tragedy that occurred at Florida State Thursday.
When reliever-turned-starter Russell Sandefer first took the mound, he made quick work of the top of the order for a 1-2-3 inning. Sandefer forced a groundout, flyout, and strikeout.
For the Horned Frogs, their sophomore pitcher Mason Bixby’s first start of the season was one he’d surely like to forget. UCF’s leadoff man, DeAmez Ross, was walked on five pitches. However, he was gunned down trying to steal second with a great throw from TCU’s catcher, Nolan Traeger.
Bixby was able to strikeout the next batter, but walked Andrew Williamson, the Knights’ right fielder whose improbable catch in the series opener was ranked second on SportsCenter’s Top Ten. Williamson was able to advance to second on a muffed pickoff attempt, giving UCF its first runner in scoring position early. This error would not end up mattering in the end, as Bixby ended the inning with another strikeout.
In the second, freshman Noah Franco grabbed TCU’s first hit of the game. Franco attempted to steal second, and after a delayed throw by catcher Dylan King, shortstop Antonio Jimenez tagged him out.
For Bixby, it was a second-straight inning giving up two walks. After giving up his fourth free runner while only recording four outs, he was pulled from the game. Senior reliever Gianluca Shinn came in and recorded two quick outs in his only inning of the contest.
The third was full of action in both the top and bottom of the inning. Sandefer got into trouble early, as back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. The sophomore was able to strike out a batter for his first out, then forced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.
“I was falling behind guys a bit,” Sandefer said. “I got that first guy out, and I got [Strosnider] to get a ground ball. It was a great moment because everybody knew we were ready to go and we’re not going to go down without a fight.”
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The Horned Frogs put in their third pitcher in as many innings, as junior lefty Braeden Sloan took the mound. Sloan walked Edian Espinal, who was then able to advance to second on a passed ball. During the same at-bat, Jimenez drew a walk. First baseman Lex Boedicker hit a ball into deep left field for a double, allowing Espinal to score the first run of the game for the Knights.
Sandefer carried the momentum into the fourth, striking out two more batters, keeping UCF’s 1-0 lead in check.
UCF would quickly grow their lead, as Chase Krewson hit his first home run as a Knight into right to start the fourth inning. Kendrey Maduro drew a walk following the home run, who moved to second on a groundout. Ross then hit a single into right center, letting Maduro cross home plate to give the Knights a 3-0 lead. Sloan gathered himself and struck out the next two batters to end the fourth.
“I was looking for a fastball, but he left the changeup middle-in,” Krewson said. “I was able to keep my front foot down and do the rest.”
The fifth was much the same for TCU both offensively and defensively. Sandefer had another inning with two strikeouts, notching a stretch of 10 innings without allowing a run. Sloan gave up another extra base hit with a double by Jimenez, which he then scored on after a throwing error by TCU. This error gave UCF a 4-0 run, with Sloan accruing all four of the earned runs thus far.
TCU’s bats finally woke up in the top of the sixth, as right fielder Sawyer Strosnider tripled into center. After getting two outs, Sandefer gave up his second triple of the inning, this time to center fielder Chase Brunson. This triple, however, could have been a flyout if Williamson made the catch in right. The second extra base hit of the inning knocked Sandefer out of the game, pitching 6 2/3 of solid ball for the Knights.
Replacing Sandefer was senior Dominic Castellano. After entering the game with a runner on third, Castellano struck out the batter to end the inning. Castellano would lock down the rest of the game in his appearance, striking out seven of the 13 batters he faced.
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth off the bat of King, the team captain. On an 0-2 count, King took a ball deep into right field, pimping the shot on his way around the bases.
“You can tell the UCF on the front of [King]’s chest means a lot to him and his family,” UCF coach Rich Wallace said. “You can tell that by the way he works. He’s by far the most improved player.”
The Knights fans in attendance had a scare in the top of the ninth, as Castellano took a hard hit on a grounder by Traeger. Castellano still made the play for the out, and stayed in the game to collect the final out of the game on a strikeout.
“[Castellano] did a great job,” Krewson said. “He is one of the most blue collar, great guys that I’ve been able to play with. Whenever he got hit on that one pitch and he’s still able to throw that guy out, it was truly special to see.”
In the game, TCU outhit UCF 8-6, but the Knights drew nine walks in the contest. These walks led to two extra runs for UCF, while TCU could not score either of their two walks.
Next Up
UCF will look to take the series against TCU on Saturday. Sophomore Matt Sauser will look to secure the win for the Knights, marking the third-straight game a sophomore will be on the mound for them. Sauser sports a 1.62 ERA through five appearances, and will look to grab his third win on the season.
“This is definitely a big one,” Sandefer said. “Same approach: attack from the beginning. We are not going down without a fight. It is going to be a dog fight tomorrow.”
First pitch against the Horned Frogs is set for 12:00 p.m Saturday.