By Rofkens Petit-Homme
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In case you haven’t noticed UCF Baseball has begun. Yes, ladies and gentlemen the University of Central Florida Knights are currently 13-3 for the season thus far and over the weekend, beat up on the Wagner College Seahawks.
With two previous victories being recorded in the record books: 13-4 and 5-1.
Head coach Terry Rooney was very pleased with the results of Sunday’s game, “It’s all about results. We had to learn how to win these 2-1 games.”
The Knights, backed by their starting pitcher Ray Hanson, held control of the reins all the way to the end.
With only six hits from the Seahawks the whole game compared to the Knights three, it’s a wonder how they kept from getting rope burned.
Hanson had this to say at the end of the game, “Yeah, it was kinda shaky in 1st.” Indeed it was, Wagner’s Ian Miller stole third base and teammate Kevin McDonnell singled to right field to bring in the run.
The Seahawks stole a total of two bases all together while the ‘round table guys’ stole a total of 3 bases.
“We kept defense up in the game and we tried not to get behind the count.” Hanson definitely providing a key note that helped him start and finish the game.
With the score 2-1 UCF, two outs and no one on base, the top of the ninth inning was almost at an end. Wagners last hope was Seth Boyd, who was 1-3 for the game. With a two ball and two strike pitch count, he ended up looking at the ball directly in the catcher’s mitt for the final out.
The Knights’ all time record verses Wagner College now plays at 14-0. With a pitching staff ERA (Earned Runs Average) of 9.77, that sounds about right.
Johnathan Griffin, Knights first baseman, was truly delighted with his serious post-game interview, “Defense is very important.” When asked about the importance of the rivalry game against USF (Tuesday, March 15) “Its important not to press.”
With the UCF Knights baseball team putting on an impressive record at the beginning of the season thus far, can, or will the fans come out to show more support?
University of Southern Florida will be at UCF on Tuesday, but the real test should come with the three game spread versus the Ivy League’s Columbia University (March 18).
“We have one of the best offenses in the entire country,” coach Rooney explained. “It takes more than a winning record to be a top 25 team, it definitely takes more fan support.”
With that kind of talk, the fans should be begging for tickets for the rest of the season.