UCF baseball falls to Cincinnati, setting up Sunday rubber match

Knights' pitching struggles lead to 9-3 loss, evening series ahead of decisive finale

Apr. 19, 2026 at 3:48am

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes and planes of bright orange, deep blue, and forest green, capturing the dynamic energy and motion of a college baseball game.A fragmented, cubist depiction of the high-intensity action of a college baseball matchup between UCF and Cincinnati.Today in Orlando

UCF baseball fell to Cincinnati 9-3 on Saturday, as the Bearcats capitalized on 10 walks and four hit batters to even the series. The Knights' pitching staff struggled, with starter Matt Sauser lasting just 4 innings and the bullpen unable to keep Cincinnati in check. UCF did get home runs from Andrew Williamson, John Smith III, and JD Rogers, but the offense was otherwise limited. The loss sets up a decisive rubber match on Sunday between the two teams.

Why it matters

This series between UCF and Cincinnati is an important Big 12 matchup, with both teams looking to gain ground in the conference standings. The Knights entered the weekend in a strong position at 11-6 in league play, but the loss evens the series and puts pressure on them to bounce back in the finale.

The details

UCF starter Matt Sauser struggled with his command, walking three batters and allowing four runs in 4 innings of work. Cincinnati took advantage, with No. 9 hitter Conlan Daniel hitting a key 3-run homer in the 4th inning to break the game open. The Knights' bullpen kept them in it for a while, but Cincinnati broke through for 5 runs in the 8th inning to pull away. UCF got home runs from Andrew Williamson, John Smith III, and JD Rogers, but the offense was otherwise limited, going 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.

  • The game was played on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
  • The rubber match between UCF and Cincinnati is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2026.

The players

Rich Wallace

UCF's head baseball coach.

Matt Sauser

UCF starting pitcher who lasted 4 innings and allowed 4 runs.

Conlan Daniel

Cincinnati's No. 9 hitter who hit a 3-run homer in the 4th inning.

Andrew Williamson

UCF outfielder who hit a solo home run in the 1st inning.

John Smith III

UCF infielder who hit a solo home run in the 6th inning.

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What they’re saying

“As good as we played yesterday on the pitching and defensive side, today was probably the opposite. It was going to be a really good college baseball game until that five-run eighth. We gave up two big innings, and that's the difference. It's going to be hard to win college baseball games when you walk nine and hit four. It's just going to be tough.”

— Rich Wallace, UCF Head Coach

“His velocity was holding, it was just the command wasn't where it normally needs to be. He's one pitch away from getting out of that inning with two strikes and two outs to the nine-hole guy, and a guy puts a really good swing on a pitch he probably wants back.”

— Rich Wallace, UCF Head Coach

“I think you've got some freshmen out there figuring this thing out. In that situation, you really didn't want to go to Sosnowski or Jones and ask them to do that when we've got a game in about 13, 14 hours. You're just hoping those freshmen will learn from this.”

— Rich Wallace, UCF Head Coach

“Hopefully that kind of angers you. On a Saturday night in your home ballpark, to play like that — if we've got the team that I think we have, that should anger them, and they should come ready to play tomorrow and do something about it.”

— Rich Wallace, UCF Head Coach

What’s next

UCF will turn to Camden Wicker as the starting pitcher in Sunday's rubber match against Cincinnati, with several key bullpen arms expected to be available after being rested on Saturday.

The takeaway

This loss evens the series between UCF and Cincinnati, setting up a decisive rubber match on Sunday. The Knights' pitching struggled mightily, walking 10 batters and hitting 4 more, which allowed the Bearcats to capitalize and pull away late. UCF will need to regroup and come out with a stronger effort in the finale to take the series.