What Went Wrong for UCF Knights Baseball in Loss Against Milwaukee in Auburn Regional

The UCF Knights baseball team is now one loss away from the end of its 2026 season after falling to Milwaukee in the Auburn Regional winner's bracket game, 13-6.

Unlike the night before, when they fell behind early and mounted a comeback, the Knights' midgame offensive surge was not enough to catch up to the Panthers, who had gotten out to a 9-0 lead by the end of the third inning.

Now, UCF has a quick turnaround before their elimination game against the hosting Auburn Tigers at 3 p.m. on Sunday to earn a spot in the regional final and another shot against Milwaukee.

Hear what coach Rich Wallace (right) and relief pitcher Evan Jones (right) had to say after the game below:

Here are three key reasons why coach Rich Wallace and the Knights now find themselves on the verge of elimination:

1. Another Shaky Start on the Mound

MILWAUKEEEE EXTENDS THE LEAD OVER UCF 🔥🔥🔥

Every year just some random lineup turns into the '98 Yankees pic.twitter.com/1vRUSzaJiM
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 31, 2026

Just like NC State did on Friday, an opposing offense pounced on UCF's starting pitcher right in the opening frame, forcing the Knights to play from behind.

Starting pitcher Mateo Gray lasted an even shorter amount of time than Camden Wicker did the day previously, only getting off 27 pitches, but still allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. It's only his second credited loss of the season.

Wallace said the Panthers played an "unbelievable" game offensively, continuing the momentum started the previous day against Auburn. Between both games, Milwaukee combined 25 hits, 15 walks, and five hit-by-pitches. That amounts to 45 batters, of which 26 scored, or 57.7%.

2. Too Little Too Late

Jones blows it by him for his 4th K of the evening 🔥

📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/XL7Vrm5Ybb
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) May 31, 2026

On Friday, the Knights' bullpen stepped up to keep the Wolfpack at bay while the offense orchestrated a comeback. While it did happen again against Milwaukee, it took longer to get to, which allowed the Panthers to build an even larger deficit that ultimately proved too large for the Knights to close.

This was most egregious in the third inning, when all four of the Panthers' runs were scored with two outs on either bases-loaded walks or a wild pitch. The Knights used three relievers in that inning: Kevin Schoneboom, who had already allowed a pair of RBI doubles and a walk back in the second inning, Max Murray, who walked three of the four batters he faced, and Evan Jones, whose bases-loaded walk and wild pitch added two more runs to the board for Milwaukee.

"We helped them a little bit with some of the free stuff, but I mean, they capitalized, they played extremely hard," Wallace said after the game.

Jones did settle into the game in the following frame and stayed on the mound for the next 4.1 innings, a new career high for him. In the 17 batters he faced, he gave up just a single hit: a solo home run. He also tied his season high with five strikeouts.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks for me on the mound the past couple weeks, and... just been trying to hone back in with the coaches and get my stuff back on the mound, and it really played with me there," Jones said after the game. "It played good for me today. I mean, I struggled when I came in, but found the zone after, and just try to keep repeating after that."

Thanks to Jones, the Knights' offense closed their deficit to four runs, but after he was replaced with Kaniel Rosado, the Panthers shut the door with three more insurance runs: one on a wild pitch and two on an RBI single.

3. Just Straight Up Bad Luck

𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗔 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 💥 @GrantRoss55 with his 6️⃣th Home Run of the Year... with a little help? 👷‍♂️👷‍♂️👷‍♂️

📺 ESPN+#ForTheMKE | #HLBASE | #MKEBaseball | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/quAIChSLkt
— Milwaukee Baseball (@MKE_Baseball) May 31, 2026

While the UCF offense did help close the deficit to four runs, Milwaukee had just a couple of plays break just right to their benefit to both kneecap their rally and fall even further behind.

While not as impactful on the box score as previous innings, Grant Ross' solo home run in the fifth inning did showcase how fortune seemed to be in the Panthers' favor on Saturday night. The hit was not supposed to leave the ballpark, and yet, the position of center fielder DeAmez Ross' glove was just off enough that the ball hit its side, bounced off Ross' head and went over the wall. It was the only hit Jones gave up that night, and it was a 'Jose Canseco' home run.

What's more, the hit came in the same inning in which UCF's offense was also crippled by circumstance, though this was more of a case of a defender just being at the right place at the right time.

The Knights' batters first got the upper hand thanks to the first two batters of the inning, first baseman Landon Moran and designated hitter Stephen Chucka, getting on base with a walk. Shortstop Jordan Lodise then followed this up with a screaming line drive that would have gone into the outfield had Ross, Milwaukee's third baseman, not been there to make the catch and make the throw to second base for a double play. What could have been either an RBI hit or loading the bases with no outs ended up turning into a runner on first with two outs that ultimately yielded just one run.

Not everything went Milwaukee's way through nine innings on the Plains Saturday night, but enough did that the Horizon League champions with a record below .500 are heading to a regional final.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

UCF Knights Baseball Regional Central: Starting Pitchers, Lineups, Everything You Need to Know

Projected Rotation for UCF Knights in NCAA Baseball Regional Tournament

The UCF Knights and Johnny Dawkins Agree To Extension Terms

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