May 14, 2005
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Lindsay Enders picked up two complete-game wins against Troy Saturday and earned tournament MVP honors as UCF claimed its first Atlantic Sun Conference championship and the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament that goes along with it. Enders surrendered only two runs to the previously unbeaten Trojans as the Golden Knights won by the scores of 2-1 and 3-1 in the double-elimination tournament.
Jania Shinhoster, Stephanie Best and Bryttani Lindheim also earned a spot with Enders on the all-tournament team.
UCF struck first in the bottom of the second inning of game one when Shinhoster took an outside pitch to right field, plating Crystle Krafft and Kacie Feaster, who both walked to reach base. Troy cut the Golden Knights' lead by one in the top of the third when Stacey Dwyer hit an RBI single into left field scoring Brooke Powell who reached base on a single to right field.
Feaster and Best finished 1-for-1 in game one for the Golden Knights, while Shinhoster was 1-for-2 with the game-winning RBI. Enders gave up one run on four hits, two walks and one strikeout en route to picking up her 24th win of the season.
For Troy, Powell was 2-for-3 with two singles, while Jocelyn McCallum was tagged with the loss. McCallum went seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits, six walks and six strikeouts.
In game two, the Golden Knights put a three-spot on the board in the third inning, capped off by a bases-clearing double to left field by Lindheim. The bases were loaded due to two walks and a single. After Lindheim's double, Troy replaced starting pitcher Katie Flinn with McCallum, who finished the game.
Troy put a dent on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Howren led off with a double to right field. Paige Foster entered the game to run for Howren. Bonnie Belin laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Foster over to third where she scored on a sac fly by Brittany Krbec.
Lindheim finished game two 1-for-3 with the three-run double, while Enders picked up her 25th win with another gem, giving up one run on five hits, one walk and one strikeout.
For Troy, Krbec and Howren were both 1-for-2 at the plate, while Flinn was pegged with the loss after pitching just two innings. Flinn gave up two runs on no hits, three walks and one strikeout.
The Golden Knights, who now own a 46-27-1 record, will find out Sunday evening who they will face in NCAA Tournament, while Troy (47-21) will have to wait for word of a possible at-large bid into the tournament.