ORLANDO, Fla. (Interstat) — In a tense, 10-inning pitchers’ duel defined by dominant starting performances and a late defensive lapse, the South Florida Bulls edged the UCF Knights 2-1 on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Jay Bergman Field.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the bottom of the eighth inning, transforming a quiet contest into a nail-biter. South Florida starter Michael Senay had been untouchable, but after he departed, UCF finally broke through via South Florida’s defensive mistakes. With one out, UCF’s Andrew Crespo reached on a throwing error by new pitcher Ethan Sutton. After a fielder’s choice, Matt Chucka reached on another error, this time by Bulls shortstop Jevin Relaford, putting the tying run in scoring position. Sutton then intentionally walked Braden Williamson to load the bases for John Smith III, who delivered UCF’s only run with a sharp RBI single. The Knights had the bases loaded with a chance to take the lead, but Sutton struck out Andrew Moran to escape further damage, preserving a precarious 1-1 tie.

That UCF rally only materialized because of the historic work done by Senay earlier. The South Florida right-hander was brilliant, tossing seven no-hit innings. He walked two and struck out five, utterly stifling the Knights’ lineup and facing just two batters over the minimum. His counterpart, UCF’s Matt Sauser, was nearly as effective, matching Senay with seven shutout frames of his own, allowing just five hits and striking out five.

The stalemate continued into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Relaford atoned for his earlier error by leading off with a double against UCF reliever Evan Jones. Jonathan Lutz moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt, and two batters later, Jackson Lohry singled through the left side to plate the decisive run.

South Florida’s bullpen closed the door. Sutton, despite the rocky eighth, earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief. Landon O’Donnell recorded the final two outs of the 10th for the save, sealing the victory.

The Bulls out-hit the Knights 11-5, with Lutz leading the way by going 3 for 3. Relaford and Eli Thomas each had two hits, with Thomas driving in South Florida’s first run with a ninth-inning double.

The win improved South Florida’s record to 9-2, while UCF fell to 4-5. The victory came against the odds, as Interstat’s ELO system had given UCF a 64.1 percent probability to win.

The two teams were set to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.