BOX SCORE
Orlando, FL - UCF scored five times over the first three innings and junior RHP Ben Lively struck out 10 in a complete game effort as the Knights defeated Wagner 5-1 before 963 fans at Jay Bergman Field.
The game, which was played in a crisp 2:08, saw all six runs scored in the first three frames before the teams scattered a combined four hits over the final five and a half innings.
The Seahawks, who allowed a season-low matching five runs, fall to 1-9 as UCF improves to 12-3.
Freshman
Ian Miller (Downington, PA / Bishop Shanahan) started the game off
with this single through the right side on the first pitch he saw from Lively.
Miller then stole second on a 1-1 offering before moving to third on a perfectly executed
Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) ground out to the right side of the infield. Senior
Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy)
then put Wagner on the board with a sacrifice fly to shallow left field, scoring Miller to making it 1-0.
The Knights responded with a pair of runs in the bottom part of the inning on a Darnell Sweeney RBI double and a Jonathan Griffin run-scoring single before junior
Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) ended the frame with an acrobatic catch in foul territory.
UCF extended the lead out to 4-1 in the bottom of the second inning on D.J. Hicks two-run home run to right-center while plating Ryan Breen, who led off the frame with a walk. The Knights made it 5-1 In the bottom of the third inning, on a Griffin RBI single up the middle.
Wagner threatened in the top of the fourth inning as Boyd led off with a double to left center but was unable to come around and score.
After allowing five runs over the first 2.1 innings, Seahawk starter RHP
Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) settled down and retired 11 the last 12 batters he faced, including seven-straight before being lifted after 6.0 solid innings of work.
Lucas finished up after throwing 97 pitches (60 strikes) with two strikeouts while allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk.
The Green & White had another chance to dent the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning when Higgins laced a one-out triple to right field. However, Lively retired the next two batters without incident while stranding Higgins 90 feet from home.
Senior
Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) relieved Lucas in the bottom of the seventh, moving from first base to the mound. After allowing UCF to mount a first-and-third, two-out, threat the crafty lefthander
struck out Johnny Bench Award candidate Beau Taylor on this wicked pitch.
The Knights, which outhit Wagner 8-4, were led by Sweeney, who was 2-for-3 with two runs, and Griffin, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Lively (3-0) captured the win while Lucas (0-3) suffered the loss.
The teams conclude their series tomorrow at 1:00 pm.
