UCF eliminates ECU with 2-1 win Saturday night
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CLEARWATER, Fla. (AAC) – UCF advanced to the championship game of the 2021 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship with a 2-1 win over East Carolina Saturday, May 29 at BayCare Ballpark.
UCF (31-29) will face the winner of South Florida and Tulane in the title game on Sunday, May 30 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPNews.
Andrew Freeland delivered the two runs for the Knights, hitting a solo home run in the second and an RBI single in the ninth inning that scored Pablo Ruiz.
The Pirates cut the lead to one when Alec Makarewicz drove home Lane Hoover on a single up the middle with one out, but UCF closer David Litchfield then induced a game-ending double play.
Hunter Patteson (3-2) pitched six shutout innings for the win with five strikeouts. He only allowed one Pirate baserunner to reach second base. Litchfield earned his eighth save with three innings and one run allowed to conclude the game. Jake Kuchmaner (2-4) took the loss, allowing a run in two innings.
East Carolina defeated UCF, 5-2, earlier in the day to force the second matchup.
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