Victor Tan contributed to this report.

• Final stats

ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second time in four games, left fielder Tyler Osik drove in the game-winning run for the UCF Knights, giving them a 6-5 win over Bradley University on March 13 at John Euliano Park.

The Knights (14-3) rallied from down five runs to come back and defeat Bradley (9-4) in a four-hour, 45-minute game that lasted 13 innings.

“I’m not going to give this one back, but I’m not sure how much we deserved to win it,” head coach Greg Lovelady said after the win. “It was very up-and-down. We did some really good things and some very bad things. I thought the bullpen did a great job.”

First baseman Rylan Thomas started UCF’s game-winning inning with a lead-off single to left field. Second baseman Matthew Mika followed with a sacrifice bunt to third to put Thomas in scoring position. Osik, then, stepped to the plate and singled to left field, driving in a sprinting Thomas for the game-winning run.

“I wanted to get that hit there, it was late, some were getting cold, and we all wanted to go home. So I told myself I need to get this one here for us, and I did,” Osik said.

It was a rough start from the mound for the Knights. Freshman Jack Sinclair pitched 1.2 innings and allowed five runs on five hits and two walks, giving way to Bradley’s 5-0, second-inning lead.

A lead-off base hit was followed by one of Sinclair’s two strikeouts in the second. That was it for most of Sinclair’s success, though, as the Braves’ Brendan Dougherty, then, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Sinclair allowed a walk, two singles and a double in his next four at-bats, allowing Bradley to gain a 3-0 advantage.

Luke Shadid scored on a throw to second for the fourth run, and Luke Mangieri scored on Sinclair’s fifth and final hit allowed.

Lovelady and his staff saw enough and brought in reliever Eric Hepple, as Hepple assisted on the putout at first for the final out of the second.

After the pitching change, the Knights held Bradley scoreless. Lovelady was forced to go deep into his bullpen and used seven different relievers to secure the comeback. The seven combined pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts and allowed 10 hits and two walks in 11.1 innings of work, as Jeffrey Hakanson (1-0) earned the win.

“They really managed the game in some sticky situations with guys on. They all threw well, especially Hepple and [Bryce] Tucker,” Lovelady said. “Nick McCoy, to put him in that situation was pretty impressive to watch. Hakanson came in after a tough outing last time and was really good to see.”

It was not an easy shutout for the bullpen, as the relievers faced runners in scoring position for three-straight innings.

In the fourth, Hepple faced a runner on third with one out and was able to strike out the final two batters after allowing a triple. Then, Luis Ferrer took over for Hepple in the fifth and faced runners on second and third but was able to retire the side with a strikeout and lineout to end the inning.

Garrett Westberg pitched the sixth and faced runners on second and third before earning a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.

As for UCF’s offense, the Knights slowly chipped away at the Bradley lead.

The Knights used two-run home runs in the second and third innings to cut Bradley’s lead to 5-4. Osik hit a one-out single to set up catcher Dallas Beaver for the first home run in the second. Then, in the third, shortstop Brandon Hernandez found his way to third with a single to right and consecutive steals before Thomas homered over the left-field wall.

Thomas tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning with a double to right-center field, driving in Jackson Webb.

Who’s Next?

UCF will play Lovelady’s alma mater, the University of Miami, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at John Euliano Park.

For more on the Knights, as they take on the Hurricanes, follow Carl-Max Millionard on Twitter at @cmillionard3.