ORLANDO, Fla. – In ballooning its current win streak to five consecutive games, the (RV) UCF Knights softball team left little doubt Sunday afternoon.
The weekend UCF Round Robin tournament represented a chance for the Knights to right the ship on the heels of a five-game losing streak, and UCF snapped the skid in convincing fashion with five consecutive victories, the last two of which coming Sunday morning and into the afternoon by 9-1 and 8-0 run-rule victories over North Dakota and Kennesaw State.
"It's all three parts of the ball, dominant pitching, great team defense and clutch hitting," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "I can't speak enough to the impact and the performances from people down the lineup, it's not just one person."
The pair of routs added on to a total of three run-rule wins in the Knights' five victories throughout the weekend, a stretch that saw UCF outscore its opposition by an aggregate 39 runs to seven as the team reached the official halfway point of its 2023 spring season.
In the opener of its Sunday twin-bill, the Knights (15-13, 0-0 AAC) demonstrated admirable resolve in brushing off a 9 a.m. first pitch for their tilt against the Fighting Hawks (2-22, 0-0 SUM) following a Saturday evening game that preceded the daylight savings time change.
UCF picked up where it left off from its 11-5 Saturday win over the Owls with a four-run bottom of the first against North Dakota early Sunday morning, followed by a three-run second and two more scores in the fourth and fifth innings.
"It was definitely different, we haven't had to get up that early in a long time," right fielder Chloe Evans said of the early start time. "It was just a different atmosphere trying to get things going and keep the team ready to go at all times. I think that was big for us to not get down or act tired."
Evans headlined the Knights offensive production in the opener, collecting three hits and at least three RBI for the second time in three games. A two-run single in the first inning and another run-scoring single in the second pushed her team-leading RBI total to 24 through 28 games to accompany a .345/.402/.643 (29-for-84) line and 14 extra-base hits.
"I think I was just seeing the ball well, really staying in control and within myself," Evans added. "Doing things for my team, just trying to produce and do what I need to do."
Junior Kennedy Searcy carried her momentum at the plate from Saturday evening into Sunday as well, registering consecutive two-hit games for the second time this season, and the first since Feb. 10 against UMass and Boise State.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native lined an RBI triple to right field to plate Evans in the second and added a run-scoring single up the middle in the fourth as part of an effort that saw her hit safely for the third time in her previous four games.
Veteran first baseman Shannon Doherty continued to make UCF history as well, as her second-inning sacrifice fly that scored Searcy in the second gave her the 105th RBI of her four-plus-year career and pushed her into a tie for ninth place with Kalyn Cenal on the UCF all-time RBI list.
The production was more than enough for the combination of Kaitlyn Felton and Angelina DeVoe in the circle, as the pair combined to allow one run in five innings with five strikeouts. DeVoe relieved Felton with one out in the top of the fourth inning and quickly collected a pair of strikeouts on six pitches to strand a pair of Fighting Hawks baserunners.
She spun a perfect fifth soon after, posting her ninth appearance in her last 10 with one earned run or fewer allowed.
"I often think that too, just playing that late game and daylight savings, I know when we planned it, we talked about those things," Ball-Malone continued. "We just said, 'we're going to have a ton of experience with adversity.' I like how tough and calm we stayed, and we just played our game."
Backed by another offensive explosion that didn't skip a beat between games, right-hander Sarah Willis silenced the Owls in the tournament finale Sunday afternoon. She turned in the first official complete game shutout of her career, allowing only a soft line drive double to left field in the third inning while collecting five strikeouts for the second time in three appearances.
Her five scoreless innings Sunday represented only the latest in a string of dominance in the circle from Willis, as she represents the team's ERA leader since Feb. 23 with a 0.73 mark (28.2 IP, 3 ER), accompanied by a .162 batting average-against and 31 strikeouts.
She also yielded one or fewer hits in an appearance of five or more innings pitched for the first time in her three-year collegiate career.
"I just came in today trying to throw my best stuff, and I think this is probably one of the best games that I've had all season," Willis said. "I think I've definitely settled in and I just have to keep going with the stuff that I have. It's just about [relying] on my defense and not putting too much on myself."
A Jada Cody RBI double in the second and an Averi Wong two-run single in the fourth highlighted UCF's eight-run outburst, accompanied by a Johneisha Rowe safety squeeze bunt in the third and a pair of groundouts.
In plating the Knights' third run of the game, Cody collected the 134th RBI of her career, moving within two RBI of tying Farrah Sullivan's career total of 136 for third place on the UCF all-time list.
"For them now, they're really buying in, because they're doing some things on their own, taking some extra bases here and there," Ball-Malone continued. "Really starting to get their confidence and their belief in how aggressive we play our game."
UP NEXT
The Knights will enjoy a Monday off day before concluding their seven-game homestand with a Tuesday evening doubleheader against the visiting Rutgers Scarlet Knights. First pitch for Game 1 is slated for 4 p.m. at the UCF Softball Complex.
