ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – For the first time in program history, the UCF baseball team has knocked off the No. 1 ranked team in the country. On Tuesday night, the No. 23 Knights defeated No. 1 Florida 9-7 in front of the second largest crowd ever at John Euliano Park.
"Obviously, it's an exciting win when you beat the No. 1 team in the country," head coach Greg Lovelady said. "I told the guys that I didn't think we played our best baseball tonight. I thought it was a good lesson for us to know that we don't need our best stuff. We struggled getting ahead in the count. We battled. The guys were really competing. They wanted to win the game. We did a lot of great things tonight, but I don't think we played our best."
UCF (9-3) finished the game with 15 hits and only one double. The Knights scored all nine runs with two outs. Former junior college teammates Tyler Osik and Brody Wofford had career days against the Gators (12-2). Osik went 4-for-5 at the plate in the sixth spot with four RBI, tied for the most in a game this season, while Wofford brought in three runs with a 3-for-5 performance. Of the nine RBI on the night for the Black and Gold, seven were driven in by newcomers.
On the mound, JJ Montgomery picked up his second win of the season after 5 1/3 innings of work. The Indianapolis, Ind., native struck out eight, despite surrendering seven hits and six runs, five earned, on the night. Cre Finfrock came out of the bullpen for 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run. The redshirt junior struck out a trio of Gators. Lovelady turned to Garrett Westberg with two outs and a three-run lead in the eighth. The Federal Way, Wash., native closed out the game with a four-out save, the first of his career.
KEY STATS
No. 23 UCF (9-3) – 9, No. 1 Florida (12-2) – 7
Winning pitcher: JJ Montgomery (2-0)
Losing pitcher: Jack Leftwich (1-1)
Top performers: JJ Montgomery (5.1 IP, 8 K 7 H, 5 ER), Tyler Osik (4-5, 4 RBI, 2 R), Brody Wofford (3-5, 3 RBI), Matthew Mika (2-2, 1 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB)
THE BIG THIRD
• Down by three entering the bottom of the third, UCF took the lead with six runs on five hits.
• Mika put the Black and Gold on the board with an RBI single through the left side.
• Osik picked up his first two RBI of the night with a single to left two batters later.
• Wofford gave the Knights the lead with a 2-RBI single to shallow center field.
• Brandon Hernandez capped the rally with an RBI single.
BOUNCING BACK
• Florida had its fair share of success at the plate, but the Knights found a way to respond when the Gators put runs on the board.
• After giving up a home run on the first pitch of the game, Montgomery settled in to strike out five of the next nine Florida hitters.
• With a five-run advantage in the sixth following a pair of scores in the fourth, the Knights saw Florida shave into the lead with a three-run home run. The Black and Gold fired back with an RBI single from Wofford.
• In the ninth, the Gators pulled a run back with a solo shot to left with one out. Westberg closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts.
NOTABLES
• The Knights notched their second straight win at home against the Gators. The victory gave the Black and Gold a 9-8 edge in games played in Orlando.
• With a strikeout in every inning, UCF now has struck out at least one batter in the last 18 innings.
• The nine runs for UCF were the most scored against the Gators this season.
• Rylan Thomas' on-base streak extended to 20 games with a base hit in the seventh.
• Matthew Mika reached safely on all five trips to the plate.
• The attendance on Tuesday night was 4,016 – the second largest crowd in John Euliano Park history and just the second over 4,000 fans.
UP NEXT
The Knights will wrap up the home-and-home series with the Gators tomorrow night at 6 p.m. in Gainesville. Joe Sheridan will go to the mound for the Black and Gold.
DON'T MISS THE ACTION
Season and single-game tickets for UCF Baseball are on sale. Featuring a 36-game home schedule, John Euliano Park is set to host some of the best collegiate baseball in the country. For more information on tickets call 407-823-1000 or log on to ticketmaster.com.
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