UCF blasts four homers, still falls 11-9 to Cincinnati in series finale

UCF finally got the kind of offensive outburst it had been searching for.

It still wasn’t enough.

Despite blasting four home runs and scoring nine runs Sunday afternoon, the Knights could not hold on in an 11-9 loss to Cincinnati in the rubber match at John Euliano Park. The defeat handed UCF another frustrating series loss, dropping the Knights to 21-15 overall and 11-7 in Big 12 play. Cincinnati improved to 27-15 and 8-10 in league play.

For UCF, it was the latest missed opportunity in a rough stretch. The Knights have now lost five of their last six Big 12 games dating back to last weekend’s sweep at Kansas, and this one stung because they appeared to have seized control midway through the afternoon.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing. That’s a game you should win,” UCF head coach Rich Wallace said. “I think we’ve got to close it out defensively, and you’ve got to tack on runs. We didn’t do that, so we’ve got to learn from that and move on.”

UCF answered Cincinnati’s five-run inning with a six-run burst

For four innings, UCF starter Camden Wicker was unhittable. He struck out nine over five innings overall and did not allow a run through the first four frames as Cincinnati managed little against him early.

“That was as dominant as I’ve ever seen him for the first four innings,” Wallace said.

Then the game flipped in a hurry in the fifth.

Cincinnati loaded the bases with one out, got an RBI fielder’s choice from Jackson Smith, then benefited from a balk that allowed another run to score. Ryan Tyranski followed with an RBI single, and Quinton Coats — who entered the weekend ranked second nationally in home runs — blasted a two-run shot to left to cap a five-run inning and give the Bearcats a 5-3 lead.

But UCF answered immediately with perhaps its best offensive inning in days.

John Smith III launched a grand slam to cap the biggest blow of the frame, while Landon Moran added a solo homer and JD Rogers followed later with a two-out solo shot. In all, the Knights scored six times in the fifth to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 9-5 lead. Rogers had already given UCF a boost in the fourth with a three-run homer, finishing the day with two long balls and four RBIs.

Wallace called it “a great response.”

“That’s a tough thing,” Wallace said. “Cam’s rolling as good as he could. We get to that, they get a five spot, and then we come back in. I think most of that was almost with two outs. So, that was a great response.”

Rogers continues to force his way into the lineup

Rogers had already homered as a pinch hitter Saturday night. On Sunday, with a start in the designated hitter spot, he delivered in the fourth with a three-run homer and then did it again in the fifth with another solo blast. He finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a walk.

Wallace made it clear afterward that Rogers has earned more opportunities.

“We need somebody to jumpstart that offense, and he’s looked good in practice,” Wallace said. “He’s a mature kid that’s never stopped working, even when he’s not in the lineup. The last three balls he’s put in play went out of the yard, so hopefully that continues.”

Asked whether Rogers had played his way into the lineup more regularly, Wallace didn’t hesitate.

“That kid writes his own lineup,” Wallace said. “There’s no way you can’t play him.”

Rogers said his recent surge has come from a simplified mindset.

“Swinging the bat,” Rogers said. “I’ve got nothing to lose, right? So I’m in there, and I’ve got one reason. I’m going to get the pitch, and I’m going to hit it. That was the mindset last night in my first at-bat, and really the last three were kind of the mindset. I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m going to leave it on the table.”

Even so, Rogers said the result overshadowed the personal success.

“I’m glad that I was able to maximize the opportunity for the team so I can produce runs for the team,” Rogers said. “But like you said, I’d rather win.”

UCF’s scoring dried up

After UCF’s explosive fifth, the offense disappeared.

That was largely due to Cincinnati reliever Adam Buczkowski, who entered in the sixth and shut the door. Buczkowski worked the final 3.2 innings and did not allow a run, while striking out eight of the 12 batters he faced. Wallace said that stretch was the real difference in the game.

“I thought the reliever had us in a pretzel there,” Wallace said. “He punched us out eight times. That’s really the story of the game.”

While Buczkowski controlled the late innings, Jack Natili did the damage at the plate.

Natili hit three home runs over the final four innings, including a leadoff shot in the sixth off Kris Sosnowski, then a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh off Evan Jones. Natili added another solo homer in the ninth, finishing 3-for-5 with four RBIs and 12 total bases.

Wallace pointed directly to the seventh inning as the turning point as a Cayden Gaskin fielding error loomed large.

“We had a chance with the ground ball to start the inning with an out, then you got a chance to get off the field with a double play. You don’t. It turns into three, and then you’re in a mess,” Wallace said. “Sos was in a bad spot right there (in that seventh). You’ve got their best player coming up, a guy with 20-something homers, and we went to our best guy. Evan and some of the stuff was really good, and he missed a couple spots, and they made him pay on a day that the balls were kind of getting out of here and jumping.”

Missed chances and more adversity

UCF actually did plenty right offensively. The Knights scored nine runs on eight hits, went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position and got a strong offensive day from Smith, Rogers and Moran. Dallas Brooks also impressed in an increased role behind the plate, going 1-for-4 while handling a high-pressure game at catcher. Zak Skinner has caught the majority of games and was getting a much-needed breather.

Wallace praised Brooks afterward.

“Outstanding,” Wallace said. “He’s earned that. He’s done that for the last six weeks. He went from the three to the two to a guy that can help us. I thought he handled the pitchers well. Couldn’t be more proud of what he did.”

But the Knights also made the kinds of mistakes Wallace said lose close games, referencing missed hit-and-run opportunities and defensive mistakes that helped Cincinnati extend innings. UCF finished with one error, but Wallace’s frustration centered more on the failure to make routine, game-closing plays when they were there.

“I told them I had no problem with the preparation, the focus of it. I liked the fight,” Wallace said. “But there’s things we’ve got to do offensively and defensively to close that game out, and that’s basic, fundamental stuff. We missed two hit and runs. We had a chance defensively to clean that inning up and win the game. We didn’t get it done.”

Turning the page quickly

Now UCF has little time to dwell on it.

The Knights return to action Tuesday at Bethune-Cookman before heading back into conference play at Utah next weekend.

BCU has one of their better teams this season, currently holding a 29-11 overall record with notable non-conference wins against South Florida, LSU and Florida.

“Yeah, I think they beat Florida. They beat LSU,” Wallace said. “They can really hit. When I look at them, I just watch them. (BCU head coach) Johnny (Hernandez) and I are friends. I kind of watch them play. They’re offensive, and we’re over there. We’ve got to handle all that, and it’s a good test.”

The Knights may be without infielder Austin Jacobs, who had to leave today’s game after re-aggravating his fractured finger.

“He had the same finger when he dove for that ball up the middle, kind of jammed it back in the ground when it’s already fractured,” Wallace said. “I can’t imagine. That kid was trying to do whatever. He didn’t want to come out, but he couldn’t throw. That kind of forced our hand right there.”

Postgame Press Conference

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