Andrew Williamson’s massive home run sparked a seven-run unanswered streak as the Knights overcame an early deficit and weather delays to shut down the Wolfpack in Alabama.
The UCF Knights are advancing to the winner's bracket after defeating NC State 9-3 Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park after weather delayed the game on Friday night.
It was an electric first inning between both squads. NC State scored three runs to start the game, as infielder Mikey Ryan singled to third base with two runners in scoring position.
Infielder Luke Nixon, who was on third base, sprinted to home plate and put the first points on the board for the Wolfpack. Utility player Dalto Bargo stepped up to bat after pitcher Camden Wicker walked infielder Sherman Johnson.
He hit Wicker's pitch down left field for a double RBI single, bringing infielder Chris McHugh and Johnson to home base. UCF was caught on its heels by NC State, but the team fought back and put together a complete game.
The Knights scored two runs in the bottom half. Outfielder Andrew Williamson, the star of the show, hit a two-run home run to cut into the Wolfpack's lead and get his team back on track.
NC State could not respond throughout the rest of the game, as they did not score. Wicker, who struggled in the first inning, responded, and the bullpen helped cover his mistakes.
"Didn't start off the way that we all planned, right?" Wicker told reporters. "Like I got a couple of infield hits and walked a couple guys and, you know, baseball got me in the first inning, but I felt like I battled and competed and that offense, they gave me a shot, man. They asked, I allowed to stay in the game and then, you know, they picked it up. They picked up the slack. So, couldn't be more thankful for them and what they did."
UCF scored seven unanswered runs until the eighth inning arrived. The game was suspended due to the weather, delaying the rest of the match until Saturday afternoon.
Coach Rich Wallace made a pitching decision on Saturday, bringing in Anthony Lariz over Max Murray. He said Murray is important to the program and wanted to give the freshman rest after throwing the night before.
"Didn't really want to bring back Max Murray through 20-something pitches as a freshman, he's too big to our program to run him out there on 10 hours rest," Wallace said. "Just went with a freshman we thought could throw some strikes and hopefully get us four outs, and couldn't be more proud of Anthony right there. That was a big moment for him."
Lariz continued to shut the Wolfpack out, putting the finishing touches on the game. The Knights dominated NC State after a high-scoring first inning and will play Milwaukee, which defeated Auburn, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, a quick turnaround for UCF.
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