UCF baseball downs Stetson in pitchers' duel for 10th win in 11 games
DELAND — Snowy conditions threatened to cool down UCF's hot streak in last weekend's opening Big 12 Conference series at BYU. Instead, the Knights ran away in Saturday's rubber match and returned to the Sunshine State on a high note.
Tuesday's bus ride to Stetson, and substantially warmer temperatures, were a comparative relief for second-year coach Rich Wallace and his team.
"I almost went shirtless today," Wallace said. "I've coached in South Bend, Indiana, and that was as cold as I've ever been for the whole weekend."
Even more comforting? The Knights picked up where they left off, even on a relatively quiet offensive night.
UCF, which entered with the nation's second-highest batting average (.356), prevailed 3-0 as Grant Siegel retired the final 13 Hatters he faced to polish off five scoreless frames. Edian Espinal extended his hitting streak to 11 games — a stretch during which the Knights (16-4) are 10-1 — with a clutch two-run single in the seventh inning, and Russell Sandefer recorded nine outs for his first save of the year.
"I thought it was a great game on both sides. They pitch and defend at a high level," Wallace said. "We were able to create just enough offensively to get us a little bit of an edge."
The Knights scratched out five hits against Stetson starter Ethan Phillips, converting a well-timed hit-and-run in the fifth as Dylan King slapped a double the other way into the vacancy at shortstop. Two batters later, Chase Krewson brought in the game's first run on a groundout to second.
That proved enough run support for Siegel, a redshirt junior who logged nine starts apiece at Tulane and West Virginia in 2022 and '23. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander commanded his sinker and slider, forcing seven groundouts and generating five strikeouts.
Siegel records back-to-back strikeouts, as he's sat down 10 consecutive Hatters 💥 pic.twitter.com/aecQ2Gfyom
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) March 18, 2025
"It was kind of a battle. I didn't have my best stuff, so I was throwing pitches when I needed to," Siegel said. "I think I just slowed down. I thought, 'Alright, I can't rip it right now, so I'm going to settle in and try and spot up a little bit more.'"
Espinal, as he often has during the Knights' torrid stretch, provided the big moment at the plate. With two outs in the seventh, the junior rolled a single through the right side of the Stetson infield. He was initially caught in a rundown on the basepaths, but avoided the tag long enough for both runs to score and retreat to first safely.
Espinal rips a two-run single through the right side to make it 3-0❗ pic.twitter.com/ipZR7qXmeC
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) March 19, 2025
UCF's relievers took control from there. Kevin Schoneboom erased a leadoff single in the sixth with a successful pickoff move. Sandefer induced a double play in the eighth and completed the shutout, which will lower the team's ERA from the 3.16 mark that tied for ninth in Division I at the start of the day.
The Knights return home for a three-game set against Houston, beginning 6 p.m. Friday.
Stetson fights through injuries, opens ASUN slate with series win
Stetson, meanwhile, has endured an up-and-down opening month of the campaign. The Hatters (11-11) reeled off neutral-site wins over UConn, Penn State and Missouri in Puerto Rico, split a pair with Indiana and lost home showdowns against Iowa, Notre Dame and Florida, along with three of four at BYU.
The first third of the Hatters' season looked difficult on paper and was made all the more daunting with the absence of several regulars. First baseman Landon Moran, third baseman Isaiah Barkett and outfielder/designated hitter Jayden Hylton missed 29 games combined, but they have returned to add pop in the heart of the order.
Second baseman Yohann Dessureault has not played since Feb. 15 due to a lingering hamstring injury, Stetson coach Steve Trimper said. James Hays, the team's projected ace, could also soon return after more than a month on the shelf.
"It wasn't a schedule for the faint of heart," Trimper said. "I know we're sitting at .500. I think that we've weathered it pretty well. Unfortunately we've got some bang-ups and some things that have kept people out of the lineup for a little period of time. But we're starting to click on all cylinders, and we're starting to get our main guys back. We're ready to go into the conference part of the season and try to shine."
The Hatters opened ASUN play with a series win over Florida Gulf Coast, a matchup of the league's two preseason favorites. Their next eight games are on the road — three apiece with Jacksonville and West Georgia, and midweek trips to Miami and UCF for a rematch on the opening day of April.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights vs. Stetson Hatters baseball: Recap, highlights
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