GREENVILLE — Central Florida trailed 2-0 going to the eighth inning of Friday night’s American Athletic Conference game at East Carolina but the Knights erupted for nine runs in the frame en route to a 9-4 win.
Freshman right-hander Trey Benton held UCF scoreless through seven innings but was pulled with one away in the top of the eighth when he hit Kam Gellinger with a pitch and Bryce Peterson doubled.
Luke Hamblin had an RBI single to second base off Ryan Ross (0-1) to cut the lead to 2-1.
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West Covington hit Eli Putnam with a pitch to load the bases.
Third baseman Eric Tyler went home for an out on a ground ball by Matthew Mika. A walk to Kyle Marsh forced in the tying run.
Two runs scored on an error for a 4-2 UCF lead. Two walks forced home another run and finished the night for Covington.
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A grand slam to right by Gellinger capped the scoring in the mammoth eighth for the visitors.
Bryce Harman hit a two-run homer to right for the Pirates in the ninth.
ECU led 12-6 in hits. Tyler went 4-for-5 with a solo homer in the seventh that gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
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Harman singled in the fifth, Tyler bunted his way aboard and an RBI single by Travis Watkins, who was 3-for-5, gave ECU a 1-0 lead.
Harman was 2-for-4.
UCF (25-11, 4-4 AAC) got seven innings from Juan Pimentel (6-2), who scattered 10 hits while walking two and striking out four. Jason Bahr pitched the last two innings for the Knights.
Benton struck out seven without a walk in seven and one-third innings. He allowed three hits and two runs, both earned.
ECU (19-17, 0-8) will try to prevent being swept in the three-game series in a noon start today.
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