• Final Stats

The UCF Knights nearly completed their third shutout in four games against Bethune-Cookman University (3-6) on Tuesday night, winning 6-1 over the Wildcats.

UCF (5-3) led the whole game and looked to be headed for another shutout until the Wildcats scored in the bottom of the eighth. After losing their first three of four games to start the season, the Knights have now won their fourth in a row.

Junior right-handed pitcher JJ Montgomery (1-0) pitched 5.2 innings in his first start of the season to record the win. He only allowed one hit and two walks and struck out six batters.

The Knights dug deep into their bullpen to relieve Montgomery, using three pitchers in the final three innings to seal the win. Thad Ward allowed the sole run of the game when Orlando native Kyle Corbin recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was Corbin’s lone hit of the night.

UCF continued its recent scoring prowess with another six-run performance. They have now scored 31 runs in the past four games, including a 15-run outing in the series-finale against Savannah State University.

Second baseman Matthew Mika was an offensive weapon, stealing three bases, recording three hits and notching two RBIs. UCF took a commanding lead in the eighth when Mika drove in two batters with a double, scoring left fielder Tyler Osik and third baseman Dallas Beaver to make it a 6-0 game.

Bethune-Cookman fell behind early, as UCF scored two runs in the first. Knights center fielder Ray Alejo bunted to reach first and advanced to second on a throwing error from Bethune-Cookman starter Alexis Herrera. The next batter, Beaver, drew a full-count walk before sophomore Rylan Thomas singled to left to bring home Alejo.

After Osik singled and Mika struck out, catcher Logan Heiser hit a bases-loaded single to Herrara to drive in Beaver.

Beaver’s sacrifice fly to center field allowed Alejo to score in the fourth, and a throwing error from pitcher Jordan Pinto allowed Thomas to score an unearned run in the seventh for a 4-0 lead.

Who’s Next?

The Knights start a three-game home series with Wagner College on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at John Euliano Park.

For more on the Knights, as they look to continue their winning streak, follow Tommy Cardinal on Twitter at @NDR_TomCardinal