ORLANDO, FLA. ? With the score tied in seventh inning, UCF managed single runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth frames to capture an 8-6 victory over Monmouth, at Jay Bergman Field, on Friday night. Trailing by two in the top of the ninth, Monmouth loaded the bases with two outs, but was unable to push across the game-tying runs.

The Hawks, who collected on a season-high 16 hits, including three hits apiece from Brett Holland and Nick Pulsonetti, stranded 17 baserunners, while falling to 0-4 on the year.

Monmouth jumped on the board in the first inning, when Holland led off with a double to left field and scored on Ryan Terry's single through the left side. With two outs, Chris Collazo delivered a single to left, plating Terry, and giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead.

The Hawks pushed the edge to 4-0 in the in the top of the second frame when freshman Josh Boyd laced an RBI double down the leftfield line, his first career hit, driving in Mike Casale and Holland followed with a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield.

The Golden Knights evened the score at 4-4 in the home half of the second when Brandon Romans connected on a two-run home run off Monmouth starter Kyle Breese, and plated two more unearned runs.

Monmouth reclaimed the lead, 5-4, in the third inning when Bobby Dombrowski delivered an RBI single to the pitcher, which drove in Collazo, who started the rally with a one-out single up the middle.

The Hawks, who stranded at least one runner in each of the first five innings, left 10 men on base through Monmouth's first six frames.

UCF took advantage of a Monmouth error in the bottom of the sixth to take its first lead, as a throwing error allowed a leadoff runner. After a strikeout, Romans delivered an RBI double to left centerfield, and the catcher advanced to third on the throw home. Evan Stobbs then added an RBI single to right, for the 6-5 edge, before Breese induced two infield groundouts to end the inning.

Casale's full-count single to right, started a Monmouth rally in the seventh, as the Hawks knotted the score at 6-6, when Ryan Terry connected on a run-scoring single with two runners on base.

UCF responded in the home half of the seventh, as Nick Choto greeted reliever Tim Ballard with a lead-off single up the middle. After a sacrifice bunt, and an intentional walk, Duffy responded with a double to center, giving the Golden Knights a 7-6 advantage.

With the bases loaded and one out, junior Brett Brach entered the contest in relief of Ballard, and got Romans to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, on his second pitch, to end the frame.

Breese, who worked 6.0 innings, allowed six runs (three earned), on seven hits, with four strikeouts and no walks, in his second start of the season.

Two fielding errors by UCF's second baseman in the top of the eighth allowed a pair of Monmouth base runners with two outs, but a groundout to second stopped the comeback attempt.

UCF pushed its lead to 8-6 in the bottom of the eighth, when Stobbs laced a 2-0 offering over the left centerfield fence off of Brach.

UCF's D.J. Hicks earned the win by working 1.1 frames, while Justin Weiss picked up the save.

Ballard (0-2) was saddled with the loss. In his first action of the season, Brach worked 1.2 innings, allowing one run on one hit.

Terry, Collazo, Casale and Dombrowski each added two hits apiece for the Hawks.

Monmouth faces UCF in the second game of the series on Saturday, March 7, when junior Ryan Buch takes the hill for the Hawks. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.