ORLANDO – The UCF softball team fell in its Saturday game two to the Houston Cougars, 10-4, at the UCF Softball Complex.
UCF’s offensive corps was led by redshirt senior Stormy Kotzelnick, who notched her first career four-hit game with a trio of singles and a fifth-inning double.
The Carmel, Indiana native has represented UCF’s leading hitter since the team’s 9-1 run-rule victory at BYU April 10, hitting a team-best .467 (14-for-30) with 17 total bases and six RBI in nine games in that span.
A two-out Kotzelnick single kickstarted UCF’s offense in the home half of the first inning, which was immediately followed by two more subsequent singles by Ashleigh Griffin and Izzy Mertes, halving Houston’s two-run, first-inning lead.
Griffin later came through in the third, driving in UCF’s second run of the afternoon with an RBI single up the middle to plate Sierra Humphreys from second base. The first baseman’s second RBI of the game came in the fifth, again plating Humphreys with a sacrifice fly to right field.
The Knights’ pitching staff struggled to contain Houston’s offensive exploits, though, as the Cougars scored in every inning outside of the third and seventh.
UP NEXT
UCF will try for the series win in Sunday’s rubber match, a game that will also see the Knights honor their five-member senior class in a postgame ceremony. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. from the UCF Softball Complex and will be streamed on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF softball on X (@UCF_Softball), Instagram (@UCF.Softball) and Facebook (/UCFSoftball).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite teams by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android devices. The app provides personalized information for men’s and women’s teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and breaking news. Click here to download the app now.