• Final stats

The UCF Knights had momentum going into the ninth inning and were looking to upset another powerhouse team, but their comeback fell short.

UCF (17-5) lost 6-4 to the Florida State Seminoles (17-4) in front of 4,547 spectators at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee on Tuesday night.

Junior Jordan Spicer (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season, as he took the brunt of FSU’s offense. In 4.0 innings, Spicer allowed five runs on four hits and three walks but also managed five strikeouts. Relievers Eric Hepple, Luis Ferrer and Garrett Westberg went on to finish the game, allowing just one earned run on a hit and a walk and combining for five strikeouts.

Right-hander Andrew Karp (4-1) was the Seminoles’ pitcher for most of the game, pitching the first 7.1 innings. He recorded 10 strikeouts and zero walks while allowing three runs off six hits.

Trailing 6-1, UCF pulled back into the game and ended Karp’s night when outfielder Ray Alejo started the inning with a single before first baseman Rylan Thomas homered to right field.

That’s when reliever Gage Hutchinson stepped onto the mound and allowed second baseman Matthew Mika to single before stealing second and reached third off of a throwing error by junior Cal Raleigh. Mika was able to reach home courtesy of a Dallas Beaver single to left field to make the Seminoles’ lead just 6-4.

Freshman Conor Grady was credited with the save after a quick, one-strikeout inning secured the Seminoles’ win in the top of the ninth.

Already leading 2-1, the Seminoles took a commanding lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The first of three hits in the inning came from a Drew Mendoza single. Senior Steven Wells stepped up to the plate next and was hit by a pitch to put two men on base with one out.

Sophomore J.C. Flowers brought Mendoza home with a single, and Reese Albert was walked to load the bases. Junior Mike Salvatore hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Wells home. Sophomore Nick Derr followed that with an RBI single to give the Seminoles a 5-1 advantage before outfielder Jackson Lueck grounded out to end the fourth inning.

The Knights had an opportunity to open the scoring when they found themselves with bases loaded with one out in the second inning.

Redshirt junior Tyler Osik started the inning by getting hit by a pitch. After Beaver struck out, back-to-back singles by infielders Brandon Hernandez and Jackson Webb loaded the bases for UCF with one out.

Karp recovered, though, by striking out the next batter and forcing the third out with a pop fly.

FSU drew first blood when an inning that started with two outs turned into two runs. Derr drew a full-count, two-out walk, and Lueck hit a homer to right-center field in FSU’s next at-bat in the third inning to make it 2-0 for the Seminoles.

UCF cut the Seminoles’ lead in half the next inning when Osik hit a homer with a full count to start the fourth inning to make the score 2-1.

Hepple’s campaign as relief pitcher started off with more scoring for the Seminoles, as FSU got on the board for the third-straight inning.

A sacrifice fly from Wells brought Raleigh home to bolster the Seminoles’ lead 6-1 in the fifth inning.

Who’s Next?

The Knights and Seminoles square up in Tallahassee once again Wednesday at Dick Howser Stadium to complete their two-game series at 4 p.m.

For more on the Knights, as they look to even the score against the Seminoles, follow Tommy Cardinal on Twitter at @NDR_TomCardinal.