TicketsORLANDO, Fla. — The Cincinnati baseball team dropped an 8-1 decision to No. 21 UCF Friday night at John Euliano Park in Orlando. The Bearcats, who drop to 25-15 on the year and 6-10 in Big 12 play, will look to even the series with the Knights (21-13, 11-5 Big 12) at 6 p.m. Saturday.
After Cincinnati starter Nate Taylor retired the first nine batters he faced, UCF’s Cayden Gaskin singled up the middle to lead off the fourth before advancing to second on a failed pickoff attempt by Taylor. Andrew Williamson followed with an infield single that ended up scoring Gaskin after a throwing error by the Bearcats. Taylor then walked John Smith III before a Zak Skinner sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning moved the runners up to second and third. The Bearcats’ right-hander fanned Javier Crespo and was on the brink of getting out of trouble, but a two-out double down the right-field line by Landon Moran plated a pair and another UC error added another as the Knights scored four.
UCF tacked on another in the fifth and two more on a pair of wild pitches in the sixth to push the lead to 7-0.
In the meantime, UCF’s Mateo Gray kept the Bearcats at bay until the eighth, when Quinton Coats drove in Charlie Niehaus with a two-out single to right. The Knights’ right-hander exited after 7 2/3, allowing the one run on four hits, while striking out nine, before Anthony Lariz retired the final four Bearcats of the night.