Central Florida scored seven runs with two outs and fended off a ninth inning Wichita State rally to defeat the Shockers 8-5 on Friday night at Eck Stadium.
The Shockers (13-25) entered the ninth trailing 8-4 after the Knights tacked on an insurance run in the top of the inning. After a leadoff walk to Andrew Stewart, Couper Cornblum rifled a single to put two on with nobody out. Following an infield pop-up, Chuck Ingram rammed a double to the gap in left-center that scored Stewart, trimming the UCF lead to 8-5 and bringing the potential tying run to the plate. The Knights summoned closer Kyle Kramer, who retired Brock Rodden on a foul out to third and Sawyre Thornhill on a fly out to deep center to secure the win. It was the third save of the season for Kramer.
Wichita State carried a 4-3 lead into the top of the sixth, when the Knights struck for three runs against starter Jace Kaminska (2-5) and reliever Caden Favors. A squeeze bunt from Tom Josten tied the game at 4-4, and Trent Taylor followed with a two-run homer to left to give the Knights a 6-4 advantage.