Milwaukee advances in NCAA tournament after UCF defeat
UCF faces elimination against Auburn on Sunday after Milwaukee capitalizes on early dominance and pitching struggles.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee secured its place in the next round of the NCAA baseball tournament on May 30, defeating the University of Central Florida 13-6 in the Auburn Regional. The victory moves Milwaukee closer to becoming just the 10th regional No. 4 seed to advance to the super regionals in tournament history, while UCF now faces elimination in its next matchup.
Milwaukee established control early, building a 9-0 lead within the first three innings. The Panthers capitalised on five walks and five extra-base hits to cruise to victory at Plainsman Park. Grant Ross reached base in all five of his plate appearances, including a solo home run that deflected off UCF centre fielder De'Amez Ross. Charlie Marion contributed with two singles, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch, while Dylan O’Connell recorded doubles in his first two at-bats and drove in four runs. Andrew Williamson added power in the sixth inning, hitting a 443-foot home run with an exit velocity of 110 mph, marking his fourth of the regional.
UCF’s pitching staff struggled to contain the offensive outburst. Starter Mateo Gray was removed after 1⅓ innings after finding the strike zone on just 13 of his 27 pitches, allowing three hits and three earned runs. The Knights subsequently used five bullpen arms in the game. Evan Jones provided a brief spark, pitching a career-high 4⅓ innings of two-run relief, but UCF could not overcome the early deficit.
The game was interrupted for 20 minutes in the second inning when Milwaukee starter Aric Ehmke threw a foul ball that struck home plate umpire Blake Felix. The incident required a concussion assessment, and Felix did not return to the game. Second base umpire Travis Carlson replaced Felix behind the plate, with Alan Gorewitz moving to second base for the remainder of the evening.
Milwaukee (27-31) advances to face the winner of Sunday’s elimination game between UCF (32-22) and Auburn (39-20). Auburn recently eliminated NC State 17-13 and enters the matchup with a pitching staff that has allowed 26 runs through two regional games. UCF holds a 5-6 all-time record against Auburn, having swept a three-game series at Plainsman Park during the abbreviated 2020 season.
