Freshman second baseman Kyle Marsh did it all for the 22nd-ranked Knights in a 10-2 win over Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday afternoon. Marsh went 2-for-3 at the plate with a homer and three RBI and pitched a scoreless ninth inning at the UCF Baseball Complex.
Not to be outdone, senior center fielder JoMarcos Woods, who entered as a defensive replacement for UCF (4-0) in the six inning, made a diving catch just before the warning track in left center field. The catch to start the seventh inning by the Orlando, Fla., native has been all over social media and is a candidate for ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays.
The win against Bethune-Cookman (0-4) was credited to junior Ryan Meyer (1-0), who tossed the first three innings and fanned one. Six Knights - Eric Hepple, Tanner Olson, Parker Thomas, Trent Thompson,Drew Faintich and Marsh - combined to finish the contest, notching a total of six strikeouts.
Another talented freshman in catcher Logan Heiser tallied a pair of base hits and drove in two runs. Multi-hit games were also registered by senior center fielder Derrick Salberg and second baseman Tommy Williams as each starter for the Knights reached base.
For the second game in a row, the Knights jumped on their opponent early with a four-run first. Senior shortstop Dylan Moore started off the rally with a single to left field and Salberg beat out a bunt single to first.
Following a walk, a sacrifice fly was recorded by senior first basemanJames Vasquez to put UCF on top. Williams followed it up with a single through the left side to fill the bases before a walk was drawn by Marsh. Delivering a two-run single to left was Heiser with a base hit to right field, 4-0.
In the third inning, Marsh connected on his second round tripper of the season, a two-run shot down the left field line.
Clutch two-out hitting continued for the Knights in the fourth as Williams brought sophomore left fielder Eugene Vazquez around to score on a single to right.
UCF stretched its lead to 9-2 in the fifth following an RBI single from Vazquez and a run-scoring double off the bat of Salberg.
The Knights tacked on their 10th run of the contest in the eighth when sophomore designated hitter Matt Diorio singled to third, driving home senior right fielder Erik Barber. It was the third-straight game the UCF offense registered double-digit runs.
Bethune-Cookman's Julian Santos connected on a home run to right field in the third, while Bryan Munoz tallied two hits. Riley O'Brien (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
Notes
-Each Knight starter reached base for the first time this season.
-The Knights tallied at least 10 hits and 10 runs for the third-consecutive game.
-Heiser notched his first career multi-hit and multi-RBI game.
-Marsh blasted his team-leading second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning. He is now 9-for-16 (.563) on the season with eight RBI.
-UCF's bullpen gave up its first earned run in the eighth inning after starting the season with 14 scoreless frames.
-Each Knight starter reached base for the first time this season.
-The Knights tallied at least 10 hits and 10 runs for the third-consecutive game.
-Heiser notched his first career multi-hit and multi-RBI game.
-Marsh blasted his team-leading second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning. He is now 9-for-16 (.563) on the season with eight RBI.
-UCF's bullpen gave up its first earned run in the eighth inning after starting the season with 14 scoreless frames.
UCF heads to the South Alabama Tournament, where all four teams come into the round-robin format with unblemished records. The Knights face No. 15 Arkansas (3-0) on Friday, No. 11 Maryland (3-0) on Saturday and host South Alabama (4-0) on Sunday. All games start at 3 p.m. ET and an audio broadcast on UCFKnights.com for each game begins 10 minutes prior.
With snow covering much of North Carolina and the Knights out of town, the series between No. 6 UNC and No. 4 UCLA has moved to Jay Bergman Field at the UCF Baseball Complex. The series was originally set to be played in Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend. Game times are 2 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 to each game and advanced tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
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