Feb. 27, 2005
MIAMI, Fla - The UCF softball team upset No. 20 FIU, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the Golden Panther Adidas Invitational.
"The girls did everything that they were asked for, and then some today," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "There were no complaints about waking up at 6:30 this morning. They knew they had to win two games to win this tournament, and that's the heart of a champion."
UCF broke the scoreless draw platting four runs in the fourth inning capitalizing on three FIU errors. Cici Alvarez and Jania Shinhoster started the frame with back-to-back singles. On the double steal, the FIU catcher threw the ball into leftfield allowing Alvarez to score, and moving Shinhoster to third.
A perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Amber Lamb scored Shinhoster giving UCF a 2-0 advantage. Crystle Krafft laid down a bunt, and the FIU third basemen threw the ball into right field. A fielding error allowed Lamb to score all the way from first. Bryttani Lindheim completed the inning with a RBI ground out platting Krafft making it 4-0.
"That was the difference in this game for us," Luers-Gillispie said. "We got the big hits when we needed them, and make the other team pay for giving us extra chances."
The Golden Knights added another run in the sixth inning. Stephanie Best hit a rocket off the shortstop, and advanced on an infield hit by Lamb. Lindheim drove in the run with a RBI single up the middle.
FIU scored a run in the seventh inning on a RBI double by Tabitha Embry for a final margin of 5-1.
Kelly McIntyre was named tournament MVP going 3-0 for the weekend with a stifling 0.34 ERA. Joining McIntyre on the all-tournament team was Lindsay Enders, Stephanie Best, and Cat Snapp.
UCF returns to action with two mid-week doubleheaders at the UCF Softball Complex. The Golden Knights hook up with St. Bonaventure on Tuesday before matching up with No. 8/9 Michigan on Wednesday. Admission is free for all games at the UCF Softball Complex. Both doubleheaders are slated to start at 1:00pm
Game Notes:
UCF is now 11-3 over the last three weekends of tournament play... This is the first official tournament championship for UCF in their four-year history... The six hits for UCF came in the fourth and the sixth inning, both frames produced runs for the Golden Knights... UCF is 13-3 when scoring first this season... Kelly McIntyre is 11-3 in her last 14 decisions... UCF is now 43-1 over the last two seasons when taking a lead into the seventh inning... UCF is 2-2 this season against ranked opponents... The win was number 140 for Renee Luers-Gillispie at UCF.