Murray State baseball lost its first Friday game of the 2026 season, falling 8-3 to Central Florida in the series opener in Orlando. The defeat brings Murray State’s record to 10-4.
Starting pitcher Nic Schutte took his first loss of the year after giving up five runs—four earned—over 5.1 innings. He allowed nine hits, matching a career high.
Despite the result, several Racers players had notable performances at the plate. Luke Mistone, Kainen Jorge, and Kristofer Hokenson each collected two hits. Mistone achieved his ninth multi-hit game in just 14 contests this season. Both Hokenson and Mistone also stole a base.
Kainen Jorge provided a key moment with a solo home run in the fourth inning to tie the game, marking his fourth homer of the season. He later added another hit with a single in the ninth inning.
Daylan Pena contributed an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning that brought Connor Chisolm home. Chisolm had one hit and scored a run. Jaxon Diamond reached personal milestones by notching his first hit and RBI of the season as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
Central Florida (7-5) opened scoring with consecutive doubles in the first inning for an early lead. After Jorge’s tying homer, UCF reclaimed their advantage on a wild pitch before Murray State tied it again on Pena’s sacrifice fly. However, UCF responded strongly with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh to secure victory.
Murray State will try to even the series against Central Florida on Saturday at 5 p.m. Central Time in Orlando. The game will be available for live streaming on ESPN+.
