• Final stats

The UCF Knights carried momentum from their series-opener against Savannah State University into the second matchup between the two teams.

On Feb. 24, the Knights (3-3) shut out the Tigers (2-4) 6-0 at John Euliano Park in front of 1,321 fans. UCF was led by three hits from Rylan Thomas and RBIs from Ray Alejo, Dallas Beaver, Tyler Osik and Brandon Hernandez.

Joe Sheridan recorded his first win of the season, recorded nine of UCF’s 15 strikeouts in 6.0 innings with four hits and a walk.

Closer Bryce Tucker recovered from his opening 2018 debut against Samford University, allowing five hits and two earned runs in the Knights’ second loss of the season. He struck out all three of the batters he faced in the ninth.

Already leading 2-0, the Knights looked to solidify their second-straight victory by adding two more runs in the sixth. Brody Wofford started the effort by hitting a lead-off single to second base. He, then, found his way to third base after advancing on a wild pitch and stealing third.

Hernandez drove in Wofford for a 3-0 lead before stealing second, and, two batters later, Alejo drove in Hernandez.

Erroneous communication from the mound to the plate resulted a wild pitch, allowing Griffin Bernardo to score from third after he double and reached third on a balk. Thomas scored his only run of the game on a fielding error in right, as he initially singled to left to get on base.

Who’s Next?

The Knights conclude their second weekend series against Savannah State Sunday at 1 p.m. at John Euliano Park.

For more on the Knights, as they look to sweep the Tigers, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.