UCF (18-16, 3-3 American) dropped the rubber game of its three-game series against No. 24 Houston (19-12, 3-3 American) on Sunday afternoon by a score of 1-0 due to a complete game shutout by freshman Mitch Ullom.
In a furious pitcher’s duel, UCF sent Juan Pimentel to the hill for his second straight conference Sunday start and he did not disappoint, tossing eight innings of one-run ball allowing just six hits while walking two batters and striking out seven.
But UCF’s offense was unable to string its hits together for that elusive run, collecting just seven hits over the full nine innings, all of them singles.
Ullom was brilliant on the day for the Cougars allowing no runs while scattering seven hits, all of them singles, and not walking a batter while striking out two. He went the distance improving his record to 5-1 and his season ERA from 2.27 to 1.79, stymying UCF’s bats all afternoon long.
UCF did not have a runner go farther than second base on the day and only had a runner in scoring position twice, those coming in the fifth and eighth innings.
UCF got multi-hit games from leadoff man Ryan Crile (2-for-4) and catcher Logan Heiser (2-for-3). Those hits could not get strung together though to secure the Knights that elusive run.
But UCF getting a second consecutive brilliant start from Pimentel is wonderful news for the team that had been looking for an arm to fill the Sunday role after his 8.1 inning performance last week. But they ran into a force that would not be budged as the normally good offense (3rd in American in runs scored) went down fairly easily.
UCF will head to Miami on Wednesday to take on the Hurricanes in a crucial mid-week tilt before hosting a weekend conference series against the USF Bulls.
