UCF wins series at preseason favorite TCU, moves to 5-1 in Big 12
UCF Baseball is one of the hottest teams in college baseball.
After a sluggish 4-5 start, which included a series loss to South Florida and setbacks against LSU, Indiana and Miami, the Knights (15-7) have caught fire. UCF is now 11-2 over its last 13 games, a surge that includes sweeps of Murray State and Oklahoma State and, now, a road series win over preseason Big 12 favorite TCU.
After two weeks of Big 12 play, the Knights sit atop the conference standings with a 5-1 league record, tied with West Virginia.
The latest statement came on a hot Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth, where UCF bounced back from Saturday’s shutout loss by pounding out 17 hits and riding a dominant start from Camden Wicker to a 9-1 victory over the Horned Frogs.
UCF jumps on TCU early
UCF scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back, forcing TCU to play from behind all afternoon. The Knights added two more runs in the third and another in the fourth to build a 6-0 lead, then put the game away with three more in the seventh.
That quick start was more than enough for Wicker, who turned in one of his best outings of the season. The right-hander worked 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while walking four and striking out four. TCU did not score until the eighth inning, when Sawyer Strosnider hit a two-out solo homer off Michael Gillen.
Gillen was on the verge of finishing the game, but exited with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, in the middle of an at-bat, after suffering an apparent injury. Evan Jones came on to record the final out.
UCF’s pitching staff limited the Horned Frogs to just three hits.
Skinner, Smith pace 17-hit attack
At the plate, the Knights were relentless.
Zak Skinner led the way with a 5-for-5 day and two RBIs, continuing UCF’s hot offensive stretch. John Smith III went 3-for-5, scored twice and homered, while Javier Crespo had two hits and drove in two runs. Andrew Williamson also scored twice and drove in a run, Jordan Lodise added two hits, and Landon Moran chipped in an RBI double.
Up next
UCF heads to DeLand on Tuesday for a midweek tilt with Stetson (11-14), then returns home next weekend (March 27-29) for a Big 12 series vs. Arizona (8-15, 2-4 Big 12).
