Series Continues Saturday in Orlando with a noon first pitch
REMAINING SERIES SCHEDULE: Saturday, April 2 – 12 p.m. | Sunday, April 3 – 1 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited
LIVE STATS: View
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFBaseball
ORLANDO (April 1, 2022) – The South Florida Baseball team dropped Game 1 of the War on I-4 series Friday in Orlando as UCF claimed a 5-0 victory on opening weekend of American Athletic Conference action. The three-game series continues Saturday with a 12 p.m. first pitch (moved up due to the chance of rain) at John Euliano Park.
The Bulls (18-8; 0-1 AAC) entered the weekend with the best overall record among AAC teams and riding a six-game winning streak. UCF improved to 16-10 (1-0 AAC) on the year.
UCF starter Connor Staine held the Bulls to one hit and no runs while striking out eight through six innings as he maintained a 0.00 ERA on the year. Bulls starter Orion Kerkering, the reigning AAC Pitcher of the Week, stuck out five but gave up eight hits and hit two batters as he allowed three runs, two earned, while working six innings and throwing 98 pitches. Kerkering fell to 4-2a.
The Knights got to Kerkering early, as UCF produced two singles and had two batters hit by a pitch in the first inning, with the second hit batsman driving across the game’s opening run.
UCF got another run in the third inning, sandwiching two singles around a Bulls’ throwing error on a failed pick-off attempt at first that moved the runner to second. Lex Boedicker singled to right to drive in Noah Orlando.
The Knights made it 3-0 in the fourth, using a lead-off walk, a reached-on-error and a pair of singles to score Tom Josten.
Alex Freeland added another run for the Knights in the seventh as he took Devin Hemenway over the wall for a two-out homer on a 2-2 count.
The Bulls looked to rally in the eighth with Nick Gonzalez drawing an inning-opening walk to become the first USF leadoff batter to reach base in the game. UCF responded with a strikeout and fly out. Gonzalez advanced to second on a wild pitch and Carmine Lane walked to give the Bulls two base runners for the first time in the game, but, after a pitching change, the Knights coaxed a ground out from Drew Brutcher.
UCF added another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.
UP NEXT
The War on I-4 continues with a 12 p.m. first pitch Saturday in Orlando. The game will air live on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Bulls Unlimited channel on iHeart radio.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four since 2015, and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF was ranked in the Top 25 by five different publications in the final 2021 polls, checking in as high as No. 16. The Bulls have won five conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro and 1 C-USA). USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018, and 18 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Drew Brutcher and Carmine Lane in 2021. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays’ postseason game one starter in 2021.
– #GoBulls –
