WVU outfielder Paul Schoenfeld slides into second base underneath the tag Sunday on a stolen base towards Central Florida. (Photo by Benjamin Powell/The Dominion Post)
GRANVILLE — Having begun the season picked to end tenth within the Big 12 this season, UCF walked out of Kendrick Family Ballpark on Sunday afternoon having made a formidable assertion to the remainder of the convention.
The Twenty third-ranked Knights are for actual.
UCF beginning pitcher Camden Wicker retired 20 of the 26 hitters he confronted and West Virginia’s offense was restricted to simply 4 hits, because the Knights beat the Thirteenth-ranked Mountaineers 5-1.
Add on the Knights’ 5-0 win on Friday, and UCF (20-9, 10-2 Big 12) took two of three from WVU to hand the Mountaineers their first series lack of the season.
“I think a lot of people think things that they don’t know much about,” was how WVU pitcher Reese Bassinger defined UCF’s preseason expectations. “No one knows what they did in the offseason or what they worked on. UCF, I believe they were a little bit above .500 last year, but they worked their tails off and they’re a better team this year. I think they’re going to keep moving up.”
UCF maintained its lead on the prime of the Big 12 standings, whereas WVU (21-7, 8-4) fell again to third place and two video games behind.
There are nonetheless six weekends price of convention video games remaining, however so far as this midseason prime 25 showdown went, UCF got here out of it trying fairly good. The Knights outhit WVU over the three video games, 32-20, and outscored WVU 20-12.
UCF was a dropped fly ball within the ninth inning away on Saturday from incomes a sweep, in what ended up as an 11-10 come-from-behind victory by the Mountaineers. UCF’s response was placing Wicker on the mound a day later. The 6-foot-7 righty allowed only one base hit over his first 4 innings and WVU by no means received a runner previous second base till the eighth inning.
“Yeah, they’re for real and they’re doing a nice job there,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins mentioned. “From the turnaround to the team they had last season to what they’re doing right now, they’re playing great baseball. They have good athletes. They’re finding ways to win games.”
With all of that mentioned, Sunday’s sport was a 1-0 affair heading into the sixth inning. WVU starter Chansen Cole was simply as spectacular, having allowed only a solo dwelling run to Andrew Williamson within the first inning.
Other than that, Cole retired 14 of the following 15 batters he confronted.
“Chansen Cole really pitched tremendously,” Sabins mentioned. “He gave us a chance. He really stabilized himself after giving up the home run.”
UCF sealed the deal within the sixth inning by profiting from WVU miscues. Austin Jacobs hit a one-out single. Cayden Gaskin then hit a grounder up the center that appeared like a double-play ball. WVU received the pressure out at second, however Matthew Robaugh’s throw to first was off course and Gaskin ended up at second. Williamson was deliberately walked and John Smith III had an infield single to load the bases.
In got here WVU reliever David Perez, who compelled a floor ball from Zak Skinner to the fitting facet that WVU first baseman Armani Guzman couldn’t deal with that scored Gaskin.
“We ended up righty on right with David Perez and that guy (Skinner) has really struggled with sliders,” Sabins mentioned. “David has one of the best slider on our staff and has been our greatest pitcher over the course of the season. He’s executed in large moments, and that’s precisely what he did. He threw a slider to Skinner and received him out entrance. He capped that ball to the primary baseman and we made an error.
“That game changes. It could have been 1-0 going into the (bottom of the sixth.) It could have been much different.”
Instead, Landon Moran walked with the bases loaded and pinch-hitter James Hankerson Jr. drove in two extra runs with a base hit. UCF’s lead grew to 5-0 and the Knights by no means appeared again.
WVU scored its lone run within the eighth inning. Brock Wills walked, Robaugh singled and Ben Lumsden walked to load the bases. Guzman struck out and Gavin Kelly hit a sacrifice fly to proper subject for one run and Paul Schoenfeld grounded out to finish the inning.
“I feel like today, we outpitched and outhit someone and lost,” Sabins mentioned. “That’s the first time I’ve said that and I don’t go down that road very often. The truth is, we could’ve easily been swept this weekend. We were down eight runs in Game 2, but we also could’ve very easily won the series, because I believe we outpitched and outhit over the course of the game (on Sunday).”