NORMAN, Okla. – Led by a standout offensive showing by the squad’s native of Oklahoma, the UCF softball team kicked off its stay at Oklahoma’s Okana Invitational with an 8-4 win over the St. Thomas Tommies before falling in game two of its doubleheader, 6-0, to the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners at Love’s Field Friday evening.
In her first collegiate game playing in her home state, freshman catcher Beth Damon, from Edmond, just 40 minutes north of Love’s Field in Norman, recorded her second career multi-home run game and fourth career three-hit game in leading her team to its four-run win.
After St. Thomas jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Knights drew up an immediate response in the form of a three-run home half of the frame.
A Sierra Humphreys leadoff single, followed immediately by a double off the bat of Samantha Rey, put a pair of runners in scoring position for junior infielder Aubrey Evans.
She brought the tying run in with a groundout to second base, just moments before Damon sent the first pitch of her first at-bat out over the left field wall for a two-run, go-ahead home run, pushing UCF out to a 3-1 lead.
The Black and Gold added on in the second, seeing consecutive hits begin a frame for the second straight inning. Redshirt freshman Taylor Kittleman lined a leadoff double to right field and fifth year senior Madison Simon singled her in with a knock back up the middle. A Rey sacrifice fly to left field later in the inning would bring in UCF’s fifth score of the contest.
Redshirt freshman Isabella Vega, meanwhile, had settled in after yielding the earlier Tommies score. She recorded her third strikeout in a bounce-back second inning and fanned her fourth St. Thomas hitter in a perfect top of the third.
After the Tommies plated their second tally in the fourth, the Knights again answered, cashing in on Humphreys’ leadoff single with Damon’s second home run of the game out to left-center field. UCF would later tack on its eighth run on Simon’s second hit of the game in the fifth inning, an RBI double that just stayed fair down the left field line that allowed Kittleman to score her second run of the game.
St. Thomas continued to rally, scoring twice more in the fifth inning before head coach Cindy Ball-Malone called upon senior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton to close out the affairs.
Felton was dominant in her 21st appearance of the year, spinning three hitless frames en route to clinching her fourth save of the season and seventh of her career. With her seventh career save, Felton tied Alea White (2017-21) for fourth-most on the UCF all-time career list, and pulled into a tie for second-most in a single season with White (2018), Gianna Mancha (2021), Shelby Turnier (2015) and Mackenzie Audas (2013).
Against the second-ranked Sooners in the nightcap, UCF’s three hits came courtesy of Humphreys, Evans and first baseman Ashleigh Griffin.
UP NEXT
The Knights receive another chance at toppling No. 2 Oklahoma in the Okana Invitational finale Saturday afternoon, with first pitch set for 1:30 p.m. ET from Love’s Field.
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.