ORLANDO, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Baseball came up short in the second of a two-game non-conference midweek series between the Wildcats and UCF Knights on Tuesday evening, falling short by a count of 5-1 at the UCF Baseball Complex. The Knights took the season's previous meeting, 5-4 in 11 innings on March 21, in Daytona Beach.
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For the second time in as many meetings between the two Central Florida area powers, Bethune-Cookman (22-18) got on the board first with a run in the top of the second inning.
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Jordan Stacy picked up his fourth home run of the season for the Wildcats with a one-out knock clear the wall in left. The homer allowed the former Florida State College of Jacksonville product to tie sophomore
Danny Rodriguez for the team lead in that department.
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However, UCF (27-11) would answer with a pair of runs in the home-half of the frame to take the lead – one in which the homestanding Knights would not relinquish.
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Kyle Marsh tied the game with a run-scoring triple down the line in left to plate Rylan Thomas who was walked to begin the at-bat. The Spruce Creek High alum would come in to score from 90 feet away on the ensuing play with a Bryce Peterson single into shallow left.
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From there, the Knights would add three additional runs in the bottom of the fourth to secure the 5-1 final margin of victory.
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Peterson's double down the left field line plated Thomas for his second run of the game, while shortstop Brennan Bozeman scored the Knights designated hitter on the next play courtesy a single to center field. The final run would cross off the end of an Anthony George single into center to score Bozeman, respectfully.
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The win went to UCF starter Chris Williams, moving him out to 2-3 on the year. He went the minimum five innings on the bump, allowing just the one hit – the home run from Stacy, and striking out two batters. On the flip side of things, BCU senior Donté Lindsay accepted the loss to fall to 1-7 on the season. The Cleveland native worked 3.2 innings in just his third midweek start of the campaign, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits.
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On the whole, BCU was able to muster up just two hits against a solid UCF pitching performance. From his second base position on the field,
Nate Sterijevski provided the only other hit for the Maroon and Gold on the night.
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The Wildcats return to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) competition when traveling to North Carolina Central for a three-game set in Durham, North Carolina. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m.
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