UCF Baseball falls behind early in 8-4 loss at Stetson
UCF’s strong recent stretch hit a bump in DeLand on Tuesday night.
Coming off a road series win at TCU and having entered the night after winning 11 of its previous 13 games, the Knights dug themselves an early hole and never fully recovered in an 8-4 loss to Stetson at Melching Field. UCF and Stetson each finished with six hits, but the Hatters did their damage early and made UCF pay for too many free baserunners. The loss dropped the Knights to 15-8 overall, while Stetson improved to 12-14.
Stetson got off to a hot start
The game was largely decided in the opening inning.
UCF starter Kaniel Rosado recorded just one out and was charged with four runs in the first. Stetson used a walk, a wild pitch, a hit batter and a pair of run-producing hits to jump out in front, with Landon Russell delivering a two-run double and Samuel Fernandez following with an RBI single. That quick 4-0 deficit immediately put UCF in chase mode.
Stetson kept adding on from there, scoring once in the third, once in the fourth and twice in the fifth. The Hatters managed only six hits for the night, but they paired them with six walks, two hit batters and five stolen bases, consistently creating pressure. UCF’s lone error also contributed to the middle-inning damage. Samuel Fernandez finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Russell drove in three.
Too quiet for too long at the plate
For seven innings, UCF had almost no offensive rhythm.
The Knights were shut out through the first seven frames by a parade of Stetson arms. Andrew Williamson supplied the loudest swing of the night for UCF, a 417-foot, two-run homer to center in the eighth after Stephen Chucka opened the inning with a pinch-hit double. John Smith III added a single, Cayden Gaskin went 2-for-4, and Jordan Lodise chipped in an infield single, but UCF left itself too much ground to make up.
The Knights later picked up two more runs in the inning, both unearned, on a Stetson error and a wild pitch. But after scoring four times in the eighth, UCF went quietly in the ninth and never got the tying run anywhere near the plate.
Bullpen settled in after rough start
After the rocky opening, UCF’s bullpen did a better job of stabilizing the game.
Kevin Schoneboom gave the Knights 1.2 innings with three strikeouts. Roman Kimball was especially sharp late, throwing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Wyatt Dion also logged a scoreless frame. But the early damage was simply too much to erase on a night when UCF’s offense did not get going until the eighth.
Rivalry notes and what’s next
Tuesday’s game was the latest chapter in one of UCF’s longest in-state series. Entering the night, the Knights held an 81-52 lead in the all-time series and had won seven of the previous eight meetings, including two shutout wins over the Hatters last season.
The matchup also carried several ties between the programs: UCF first baseman Landon Moran played his first three seasons at Stetson, left-hander Matthew Heyl spent the last two seasons there, former Knight Corey Robinson is now with the Hatters, UCF assistant Shane Gierke previously coached at Stetson, and former UCF head coach Greg Lovelady is now on Stetson’s staff.
UCF will now turn its attention back to Big 12 play, hosting Arizona this weekend in Orlando from March 27-29. The Knights are also scheduled to see Stetson again on April 7 in Orlando and April 29 in Lakeland.
