ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 15 Auburn fell behind early and couldn't make up the deficit in a 6-1 loss in game two of a three-game series at UCF Saturday.
Sophomore Jack Owen was the bright spot on the mound as the southpaw pitched 4.1 innings of relief and allowed one unearned run on three hits. Owen struck out a career-high eight batters without issuing a walk. The Aliso Viejo, Calif., native retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced.
"You reward that kind of effort," head coach Butch Thompson said. "The definition of a starter for an Auburn baseball player is getting us off to a good start and running tempo. Jack Owen will be rewarded for that because he's done that two weeks in a row."
Offensively, Conor Davis recorded two of the team's five hits, including his second double of the season. Rankin Woley, Ryan Bliss and Kason Howell added a hit apiece.
"Last night could've been anybody's game," Thompson added. "Tonight, we never did anything to get into the game. They threw the first punch, and we never really threatened in the ballgame."
UCF got out to an early lead on a RBI groundout in the bottom of the first and added a trio of runs on a pair of RBI singles and sacrifice fly an inning later.
The Knights added a run in the bottom of the fourth and made it a 6-0 game with an unearned run an inning later.
Auburn scratched a run in the top of the sixth inning as Davis ripped a double inside the third-base line, and Woley came around to score on an error on the relay. However, that's all the Tigers could manage in the contest.
The rubber match in the three-game series is scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m. CT at John Euliano Park.