• Final stats

ORLANDO, Fla. – One of head coach Greg Lovelady’s biggest concerns for the start of the 2018 season was his team’s inexperience at the Division I level.

Junior-college transfer JJ Montgomery was making his Division I debut for the UCF Knights, and sophomore Dallas Beaver had just 19 at-bats for UCF last season, but both proved to be the difference in the Knights’ season-opening win.

Montgomery struck out six batters in 4.0 scoreless innings, and Beaver hit a tie-breaking, 2-run home, as the Knights (1-0) beat the No. 19 Virginia Cavaliers (0-1) 6-3 at John Euliano Park in front of a record-breaking 3,394 fans.

Righty Chris Williams got the start for the Knights, allowing 3 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and no walks in 5.0 innings. He added 3 strikeouts, throwing 75 pitches.

“Really proud of the guys. I thought we managed the opening-night jitters and all that really, really well,” Lovelady said after the win. “You know, Chris Williams wasn’t as sharp as I would’ve liked tonight, but he battled, and he competed, and those are what great pitchers are able to do when they don’t have their best stuff.”

Virginia’s Andy Weber drove in the tying run in the top of the fifth to make it a 3-3 game, but the Knights responded in their half-inning. Knights center fielder Ray Alejo reached first on 1 of SMU’s 2 errors, setting up Beaver for his first home run at home.

On the first pitch of his third at-bat, Beaver sent Virginia starter Daniel Lynch’s pitch over the left-field wall.

“Well I just picked something up from the pitcher, and he had actually tried to rush me, so I called time,” Beaver recalled after the game. “Calmed myself down ’cause I knew it was a big moment in the game. I kinda saw the pitch was coming, and I was just able to stay with it and stay through it and happened to go over the wall.”

Beaver’s 2-run blast wasn’t the first of the game. Rylan Thomas, who led the Knights with 14 home runs last season, drove in UCF’s second and third runs of the season. Thomas also recorded UCF’s first RBI of 2018.

The Cavs, once again, tied the game, this time at 1-1 in the top of the second inning. After Alejo lined out and Beaver reached first on an error, Thomas met a 1-1 pitch with a bomb over the left-center field wall.

“Rylan Thomas, Dallas Beaver, they were unbelievable tonight,” Lovelady said. “Just big hits. [Virginia] scored, made the game close again, or tied it, and Beaver comes right back out and hits a home run. And Rylan, I mean, 3 humongous at-bats.”

The Knights found themselves in an opportune position early in the game, loading the bases in the first inning. After lead-off hitter Matthew Mika popped up, Alejo, Beaver and Thomas hit back-to-back-to-back singles, as Thomas drove in Alejo with his first base hit.

Brody Wofford walked to keep the bases loaded, but a strikeout by Tyler Osik and a flyout by Anthony George stranded three UCF runners.

Montgomery pitched the final 4.0 innings, retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced. His first two batters reached 3-0 counts before he recorded 2 of his 6 strikeouts on the final two batters of the sixth.

“It was a rough start. You know, had a lot of adrenaline going, you know, first start,” Montgomery said after the win. “New stadium, lot of people. Never had this many fans at a game. Had to step off, take a deep breath, you know, compose myself, and, after that, it was just a new ball game.”

Chandler Robertson doubled in his first and only at-bat in the eighth, setting up Brandon Hernandez for cushion-providing RBI.

Who’s Next?

The Knights stay at home for two more games, hosting the Rice Owls on Saturday at 5 p.m. On Sunday, UCF hosts the Samford Bulldogs at 2 p.m.

For more on the Knights, as they continue their season-opening weekend, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.