• Final stats

ORLANDO, Fla. – Before Tuesday night, the UCF Knights had never defeated a No. 1-ranked team in school history. That changed courtesy of a nine-run performance wherein all UCF runs were scored with two outs.

The Knights (9-3) defeated the No. 1 Florida Gators (12-2) 9-7 in front of 4,016 fans at John Euliano Park.

JJ Montgomery (2-0) started for the Knights and earned his second win. He pitched 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and two walks.

Garrett Westberg was credited with the save, pitching 1.1 innings with three strikeouts. The only hit he allowed was a solo home run in the ninth inning.

“Garrett’s been unbelievable in his outings,” UCF head coach Greg Lovelady said after the game. “And he’s just gotten incrementally better.”

Florida starter Jack Leftwich (1-1) only pitched 2.2 innings before being relieved. He allowed six earned runs on five hits and four walks, striking out two. Nick Long was the most effective pitcher for the Gators, as the sophomore struck out three batters in 1.0 inning of work.

Entering the bottom of the third down 3-0, the Knights used a six-run scoring spree to propel them to their first lead of the night.

Center fielder Ray Alejo got on base by singling to the shortstop. Alejo, then, stole second base and advanced to third when Jackson Webb flied out to center field.

Rylan Thomas walked, and Matthew Mika stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners. With a full count and two outs, Mika singled to left field past a sprawling Gators third baseman to bring Alejo home. After Dallas Beaver was walked, Tyler Osik drove in two more runs to tie the game.

After catcher Logan Heiser was walked, the Gators went to the bullpen.

The third inning wasn’t any kinder to Gators reliever Andrew Baker, though. The first batter Baker faced, Brody Wofford, singled to center field, driving in two more runs and giving UCF its first lead, a 5-3 advantage.

Shortstop Brandon Hernandez gave the Knights their sixth run with a single to right field before Alejo stepped up to the plate for the second time in the third. Alejo grounded out to end the inning.

“That six-run inning was huge because it pretty much just put a dent in the whole game and kind of gave them less life, and we were feeling it,” Osik, who was 4-for-5 with a game-high four RBIs on the night, said after the game. “So, we just had to keep rolling.”

Coming into Orlando, the Gators hadn’t allowed more than five runs and 11 hits in any game this season. UCF surpassed both of those numbers, scoring nine runs on 15 hits. Florida also walked a season-high 10 batters against UCF.

Lovelady isn’t expecting to see a similar defensive performance from the Gators when the Knights travel to Gainesville on Wednesday.

“They walked 10 guys,” Lovelady said. “That’s very un-Florida like, and, so we’ve gotta be prepared to see a different opportunity and a different team and try to find a way to win the game.”

After Osik drove in two more runs in the fourth, the Gators rallied from an 8-3 deficit in the sixth inning, starting with JJ Schwarz’s lead-off double to left-center field. Then, Gators shortstop Jonathan India was walked before Keenan Bell hit a three-run bomb to right field to make it 8-6 with no outs.

Blake Reese was walked, and Austin Langworthy struck out before UCF made a pitching change, bringing in right-hander Cre Finfrock for Montgomery. Finfrock ended the inning with a strikeout and a pop fly to keep UCF ahead.

Nelson Maldonado brought Florida within two in the ninth when he hit the Gators’ third home run of the night. But that was it for the visiting team, as Westberg struck out the final two batters to end the game.

The Knights found themselves down early when the first pitch of the night was belted over the left-field wall by Wil Dalton.

“I thought it was a pop fly, and you turn around and see the left fielder just going back and back and back,” Montgomery said after the game. “It’s not the way you want to start off a game at all. First pitch, one run—but once that happens to you, take a deep breath. We gotta score one to win anyway. So, we’re good. Just take a deep breath, compose yourself and go back to work.”

Who’s Next?

UCF finishes its two-game series at Florida on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Knights split their two-game series with the Gators last year, losing in Gainesville and winning in Orlando.

For more on the Knights, as they prepare for a rematch against the Gators in Gainesville, follow Tommy Cardinal on Twitter at @NDR_TomCardinal.