ORLANDO, Fla. — No. 22 UCF treated fans to a stellar pitching performance on Opening Knight Friday as the Black and Gold took down Siena, 4-1, to kick off the 2015 campaign at the UCF Baseball Complex. Senior Zach Rodgers (1-0) went five innings, yielding one earned run, and four strikeouts. A total of seven strikeouts were notched by junior lefty Harrison Hukari in 3.1 innings of relief, and senior righty Spencer Davis struck out the final two Saints for the save. Strong first impressions were made by freshmen left fielder Kyle Marsh and catcher Logan Heiser. Marsh picked up a pair of base knocks including an RBI double, while Heiser tallied his first collegiate hit as well. After Rodgers held Siena to five runners left in the first two innings, sophomore designated hitter Matt Diorio drew a leadoff walk, swiped second and advanced to third on a single by classmate Eugene Vazquez, who recorded two hits in the contest. The Staten Island, N.Y., native scored the first run of 2015 on a wild pitch. The Knights found their power in a three-run third, tallying four extra-base hits. Sophomore third baseman Kam Gellinger led off with a double down the right field line and scored on an RBI triple legged out by Moore. Back-to-back two baggers from Diorio and Marsh pushed the Knights lead to 4-0. Striking for a run on a pair of hits was Siena during the fifth. Brian Fay tallied a two-out RBI single, scoring Jordan Bishop. Rodgers then induced Dave Hoffman to fly out to left to get through his five innings of work. When Hukari entered in the sixth, the Saints' chances at a comeback continued to dwindle. The southpaw retired the first six batters he faced to keep Siena's bats quiets. Alex Tuccio did lead off the top of the ninth with a double, but Hukari recorded his seventh strikeout before Davis came on to close it out with a pair of strikeouts of his own. Notes:
- UCF moves to 7-0 under head coach Terry Rooney on Opening Knight.
- The Knights increased their advantage in the all-time series vs. Siena to 43-4.
- Two freshmen, Kyle Marsh and Logan Heiser, made their UCF debuts and also picked up their first collegiate hits. Marsh with an RBI double in the third and Heiser with a single in the fourth.
- Eugene Vazquez also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 and tracked down a career-high five fly balls in right. The Knights have sophomore Robby Howell taking the mound on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Siena. The finale of the series is set for Sunday with freshman Cre Finfrock making his UCF debut.
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