UCF sees Big 12 baseball tourney run ends with semifinal loss
UCF’s run in the Big 12 baseball tournament ended Friday night as Oklahoma State jumped out early and cruised to a 10-1 win in their semifinal matchup.
The Knights (35-19) must now wait until Monday to see if they’ve done enough to earn a spot in the 64-team national tournament field.
Meanwhile, OSU (39-17) advances to Saturday’s championship game (7 p.m., ESPNU) and a meeting with rival Oklahoma (37-18).
Friday’s game was a sequel, with these two teams meeting for the second consecutive night, but the result was quite different.
Oklahoma State jumped out to an early lead after right fielder Nolan Schubart blasted a 2-1 pitch from UCF starter Wiley Hartley (3-3) just over the right-field wall for a 2-run homer in the bottom of the first inning.
The Cowboys added two more runs in the second after second baseman Avery Ortiz hit an RBI double down the left-field line, bringing in Kollin Richie from first base. Ortiz scored two batters later when centerfielder Zach Ehrhard drove a long fly ball off the left-field wall for an RBI triple.
Ortiz added another RBI in the fourth with a single off reliever Chase Centala that scored shortstop Lane Forsythe. Carson Benge drove in Ortiz with a fielder’s choice, followed by a 2-RBI single by Schubart that extended the lead to 8-0.
UCF got on the scoreboard in the sixth when catcher Danny Neri drove in designated hitter Matt Cedarburg with an RBI double down the right-field line.
But any momentum gained was lost in the bottom of the seventh after Benge sent a 2-1 pitch from reliever Kris Sosnowski over the fence in deep center field for a home run that extended the lead to 9-1. The Cowboys tacked on an additional run with an RBI in the eighth inning.
UCF’s Danny Neri still riding high after home-run explosion in Big 12 Tournament
Benge (3 for 5) and Schubart (2 for 5) combined to drive in 7 runs.
Cowboys starting pitcher Brian Holiday (6-3) went the distance, giving up 1 run on 8 hits with 6 strikeouts.
UCF left 9 runners stranded and was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Cedarburg (2 for 4) and Braden Calise (2 for 3) were the only Knights with multiple hits.
In their first trip to the Big 12 tournament, the Knights defeated Cincinnati and Oklahoma State to advance to the semifinals.
The NCAA college baseball championship will be revealed at noon Monday on ESPN2. UCF is expected to be among those teams, with the Knights looking to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017.
D1Baseball has UCF as a third seed in its latest projections, with the Knights heading to Knoxville (Tenn.) Regional along with Tennessee (1), Louisiana (2) and Army (4). The regionals are scheduled for May 31-June 3.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com