No. 16 Knights need to maintain momentum while embarking on road swing

As television cameras focused in on two teams playing on Jay Bergman Field Sunday, viewers from across the nation were able to catch a glimpse of UCF baseball.

And what they saw wasn’t pretty.

But despite how many runs crossed the plate for ECU Sunday – and crossed the plate again … and again … and a couple of more times – make no mistake the Knights were the victors of the weekend.

And for once, a win wasn’t just a win, because UCF’s fashion of victory says more about the team than the fact that they took the series.

Friday night, the Knights outlasted the Pirates in a pitcher’s duel – the type of game fans have grown accustom to seeing – led by Brian Adkins.

But on Saturday, fans saw something they haven’t seen all season: a come-from-behind win fueled by an offensive outburst.

By pulling out two polar-opposite wins in the same weekend, the Knights proved that they’re a dynamic team.

There’s no better time for a team to come into its own than right before a crucial road-stretch, and that’s just what these guys are doing.

Following the embarrassment that was Sunday afternoon – that kind of debacle happens to everybody, by the way – UCF was scheduled to head on the road for five straight games.

“Gulp,” said the team that never leaves home.

But even though UCF is not experienced on the road this season, the team is playing some of its best ball of the year, and the Knights are starting the stretch on the right foot.

Consider Game One of the road trip, for example.

The Knights pummeled in-state opponent Florida Atlantic 11-3, continuing to show that they can score runs every once in a while.

If I may use an NFL Blitz reference, Ronnie Richardson and Alex Friedrich are on fire. Really.

The duo continued to mash the ball at FAU. Friedrich drove in four runs and Richardson belted a two-run homer.

This kind of offensive production may need to become a habit for UCF as it heads to Houston for a three-game series this weekend, playing what may be the best 10-13 team in the country.

After that, the Knights will play one game in Coral Gables, butting heads with Miami, the team that stole a win away from the Knights at the Berg earlier this year.

This road trip may not seem incredibly intimidating, but for a team that has only played four of its 26 games on the road this season, any game away from home is a test.

Now it is up to the team to build off of the momentum created by its versatile series win over ECU and rack up some wins in the upcoming week.

And if the Knights continue to develop offensively, expect that to happen. If not, expect more TV-type outcomes.