After throwing eight masterful innings and 112 pitches, Ruddy Gomez took a seat in the UCF dugout. The redshirt senior emptied the tank Friday night against the Terps, allowing just two runs and striking out seven, and patiently waited to see if his bullpen could seal the deal.
Kyle Kramer took the mound to start the ninth with two runs of insurance. Due to face Maryland’s top of the order — including Luke Shliger, who had hit a home run earlier in the contest — the redshirt senior right-hander shut the door with a one-two-three frame, securing the 4-2 win for the Knights.
Despite a 10-strikeout effort by Jason Savacool, Maryland baseball’s (12-9) offense faltered with runners on base, stranding eight, and the Gomez-Kramer one-two punch secured the UCF (16-6) victory in the first of three games in Orlando.
Savacool came out firing early, seeing lots of movement on his two-seam fastball and 12-6 curve. The junior right-hander hurled three strikeouts in the first two frames, all swinging, getting hitters to chase outside the zone on offspeed pitches.
Maryland’s offense produced hard contact in the opening innings but only had one run to show for it. Fifth year right fielder Matt Woods dropped a bunt down the third base line — scoring Shliger from third — in the top of the first to give the Terps a 1-0 lead.
The Knights got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the third.
Redshirt junior third baseman Andrew Brait doubled to left-center with one out, scoring redshirt senior center fielder John Rhys Plumlee who had previously been plunked by Savacool. UCF’s second run of the inning came after an error committed by junior second baseman Kevin Keister allowed redshirt senior second baseman Tom Josten to reach base safely and Brait to touch home, giving the Knights a 3-1 lead.
Shliger, who led off the game with a hard-hit single up the middle and went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in against GW on Tuesday, sent a ball over the fence in the fifth to cut the Terps’ deficit to one run. It was the junior catcher’s fourth home run of the season, on a low fastball that he sent over the opposite field fence in left.
With the 3-2 score holding, pitching continued to be the story as Savacool and Gomez combined for 16 strikeouts through six frames. An old-fashioned pitcher’s duel took place in Orlando, as each starter possessed command of their pitches and controlled the strike zone.
In the top of the seventh — after entering to pinch hit for sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros — sophomore Jacob Orr reached base on a fielder’s choice. Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso then singled up the middle before both runners advanced on a wild pitch, putting men on second and third with two outs for junior shortstop Matt Shaw.
Down one run in a big spot, Shaw patiently worked the count to 3-0 before walking on five pitches, bringing Woods to the plate.
With the bases juiced, Woods swung through a first-pitch fastball over the heart of the plate before taking another fastball for strike two. The Bryant transfer, after taking two more pitches to work the count to 2-2, sent a towering fly ball to center field that was tracked down and caught to keep the Terps in a 3-2 hole.
Savacool was replaced by redshirt sophomore right-hander Nigel Belgrave after six innings and 97 pitches. Savacool turned in a respectable outing, allowing just four hits and striking out 10 batters. But each Knight hit was costly as he allowed three extra base hits, including the Romano solo shot, for two earned runs.
Belgrave threw a routine bottom of the seventh before getting into some trouble in the eighth, recording just one out and allowing two hits and a run. After the Knights took a 4-2 lead, tacking on a key insurance run, coach Rob Vaughn pulled Belgrave for junior left-hander Tommy Kane. Kane inherited runners on first and third with one out, striking out and walking his first two batters to load the bases with two outs.
The Rowan transfer stranded all three runners after Woods made a catch over his shoulder in right to keep the Knight lead at two.
With the eight, nine and one batters due up in the top of the ninth for the Terps, Kramer sealed the deal for the Knights, retiring all three in order.
The Terps recorded eight hits and saw consistent opportunities to score, but left eight runners on base en route to a game one loss Friday night.
