Knights' season is over with 12-5 loss to Alabama

UCF's road to Omaha came to a screeching halt in Tallahassee.

The Knights couldn't handle No. 3 seed Alabama, falling to the Crimson Tide twice in three days in the NCAA Tournament Tallahassee Regional.

No. 2 seed UCF never led in Friday's regional opener, a 5-3 defeat.

With a chance for revenge on Sunday, the Knights could not break through as Alabama eliminated the Knights from the tournament, 12-5.

"These guys have so much to be proud of and what they have accomplished as a team in bringing UCF baseball back to the NCAA Regionals after seven years," head coach Terry Rooney said in a release. "It's an unbelievable group of guys who I feel for right now. I know their ultimate goal was to get to Omaha, but one game unfortunately doesn't make a season. I want them to continue to focus on the bigger picture. They have a lot to be proud of and they represented UCF tremendously right to the very end."

Considered one of the best defenses in the country with their .978 fielding average and only 53 errors throughout the season, the Knights racked up three against Alabama on Sunday. It was the first time UCF had three or more errors in a game since April 1.

The Tide took advantage of starter Ben Lively, who didn't record an out before he was pulled. Alabama scored four, one run being a lead-off home run by Taylor Dugas, in the first.

Reliever Nick Cicio kept the Tide scoreless for three innings while the Knights continued to score a run per inning for the next three to tie the game.

But Alabama turned the game around, finishing the Knights by scoring six unearned runs in the seventh inning.

D.J. Hicks hit his 14th home run of the year in the ninth to give UCF one final run. Hicks went 6-for-12 in the NCAA Tournament, while fellow power-hitter Jonathan Griffin went 7-for-13 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 5 RBI.

After two UCF errors botched the pitcher's duel that carried into the sixth inning, the Knights regained control with an eight-hit, eight-run attack in the seventh to take the lead and defeat No. 4 seed Bethune-Cookman, 16-5, in Saturday's NCAA Tallahassee Regional elimination game.

Starter Danny Winkler struck out six and gave up only two hits before Ryan Breen and Ronnie Richardson collided on a routine fly ball in the sixth and Breen overthrew second. Winkler couldn't shake it off and with two outs, the Wildcats loaded the bases and scored four unearned runs to take a one-run lead.

The Knights fought back, adding eight runs in the seventh to regain the lead for good.

Bethune-Cookman's starter, Rayan Gonzalez, pitched six innings and fanned eight UCF batters, giving up eight hits but only three runs. Neither Gonzalez nor Winkler got a decision, as Cicio earned UCF's win.

UCF fell to Alabama in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional on Friday, 5-3.

Alabama's Nathan Kilcrease struck out 10 batters in seven innings for the win while Brian Adkins gave up four runs on nine hits in six innings in his fifth loss of the season.

MLB Draft is next

With the season now over, several Knights now look to the MLB Draft, which starts today. Draft-eligible Knights include: seniors Jonathan Griffin, Nick Cicio, Chase Bradford, Johnny Sedlock and Derek Luciano; juniors Beau Taylor, Danny Winkler, Erik Hempe and Travis Shreve; sophomores D.J. Hicks and Ronnie Richardson.