March 19, 2005
ORLANDO - Crystle Krafft was 2-4 at the plate as the UCF softball team defeated Kent State, 4-2, and No. 20 Georgia Tech, 1-0, on day two of the UCF Invitational. Kelly McIntyre and Lindsay Enders picked up the wins in the circle for the Golden Knights. The Black and Gold will face the winner of the Georgia Tech/Northern Illinois game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Krafft was 2-4 with two singles, two walks, one run and one RBI. Cat Snapp was second on the team after going 1-3 with a double, three walks and one RBI. McIntyre (11-3) earned the win against Kent State after going the distance, while Enders (11-9) pitched a two-hit shutout against No. 20 Georgia Tech.
Kent State (8-11) jumped out to the lead in the top of the third when Kim Hamilton singled to right center and then stole second during the next batter. Jessica Toocheck then singled to center field scoring Hamilton from second.
UCF answered with a two spot in their half of the third inning when Bryttani Lindheim singled to left center. Nicole Balogh came in as a pinch runner for Lindheim. Cici Alvarez laid down a bunt, beating out the throw to first, moving Balogh over to second. Snapp then doubled to leftfield scoring Balogh from second. Amber Lamb followed Snapp's double with a single scoring Alvarez from third. The third inning ended with UCF up, 2-1.
The Knights added another run in the bottom of the fifth when Alvarez walked and then stole second. She advanced to third on a wild pitch. Snapp walked one batter later to give UCF runners on first and third. Alvarez and Snapp executed a double steal to perfection with Alvarez scoring. At the end of the fifth inning, UCF was up, 3-1.
The Golden Flashes scored again in the top of the sixth when Toocheck singled to right field. Toocheck then advanced to second when Ashley Fairhurst fouled out to leftfield. Jodi Stevens then walked followed by Megan Verde who singled to right center scoring Toocheck.
The Golden Knights added one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Krafft singled to left center. McIntyre grounded out, advancing Krafft to second. Nikki Green also singled to left center for her first hit of the season scoring Krafft from second.
The game ended with UCF up, 4-2. Alvarez, Snapp and Krafft were all 1-2, while Green and Lamb were 1-3. McIntyre earned her 11th win of the season after going the distance against the Golden Flashes.
For Kent State, Verde was 2-3, while Hamilton and Toocheck were 2-4. Brittney Robinson picked up the loss for the Flashes taking her record to 2-7 on the season.
Against No. 20 Georgia Tech (26-7), the Knights threatened in the bottom of the third when Lindheim and Alvarez both walked to give UCF runners. The Black and Gold were unable to plate the runs.
In the top of the fourth, Aileen Morales led off for the Yellow Jackets with a single into leftfield. Caitlin Lever advanced Morales to second on a sac bunt. Morales then moved to third on a ground out by Christine Sheridan.
UCF's only run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Lamb reached second base on an error by the leftfielder. Ashley Baker then came in to run for Lamb who scored on a single by Krafft.
Georgia Tech tried to fight back in the sixth when Kirin Kumar singled to right field with one out. Morales then hit into a fielder's choice causing Kumar to get out at second. Morales then stole second followed by a pop-up by Lever to end the Yellow Jackets' threat.
The game ended with UCF up, 1-0. Krafft was 1-2 with an RBI single and one walk, while Snapp was 0-1 with two walks. Enders picked up the win for the Knights in the circle after only giving up two hits.
Kumar was 1-2 with a single for No. 20 Georgia Tech, while Morales was 1-3 with a single. Jessica Sallinger (13-5) took the loss for the Yellow Jackets.
The Golden Knights are 4-0 in the UCF Invitational, earning the No. 1 seed in tomorrow's bracket play. The Knights will take on the winner of the Georgia Tech/Northern Illinois game at 1 p.m. Admission to all UCF softball games is free to the public.