Feb. 19, 2006
DELAND, Fla. - Cici Alvarez was 5-for-6 with three runs and two RBI Sunday afternoon as the UCF softball team won the Stetson Tournament in DeLand, Fla. The Golden Knights defeated Ohio State, 8-6, before falling to Stetson, 5-2.
"I was excited to see the work of our freshman pitching staff," said head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie. "Magon (Paul) and Lexi (Gresham) combined for the big win over Ohio State, while Magon came up with a huge three-run homer in the first inning to give us the lead. A highlight of the weekend was the plays by Cici as she went 6-for-14 at the plate and had four putouts and 17 assists."
For the weekend, Alvarez was 6-for-14 at the plate with five runs and three RBI for a .429 batting average. Lexi Gresham was 2-0 in the circle for the Golden Knights, giving up five runs on 15 hits and seven strikeouts for a 0.60 ERA.
Game One:
Ohio State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Chelsea Baker sent a shot over the fence in left center.
Magon Paul responded to Baker's home run with a three-run shot of her own in the bottom of the first. Alvarez and Breanne Javier were issued walks before Paul stepped to plate and hit her homer.
UCF added a fourth run in the second on an Alvarez RBI single to right field scoring Lindsay Dean from third.
The Buckeyes doubled their score in the top of the third on a Lauren Daykin homer over the left field fence.
Alvarez led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and scored when Kacie Feaster hit an RBI double to right field. Amber Lamb stepped to the plate next and hit a two-run homer over the left field fence, giving the Golden Knights a 7-2 lead.
In the Golden Knights' half of the sixth, Alvarez scored on a second Feaster double to right field after hitting a single of her own to reach first.
The Buckeyes fought back in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on six hits and one UCF error, but it was not enough to overcome the Golden Knights' six run lead.
Gresham improved to 2-1 on the season after going four innings and giving up four runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts, while Jamee Juarez was tagged with the loss for Ohio State after four innings of work and giving up seven runs on six hits and five strikeouts.
Game Two:
Jennifer Tomasetti scored UCF's first run of the game in the bottom of the second on an Alvarez single to center field.
Stetson responded with three runs on three hits in its half of the third inning, led by Melissa Wiggins who hit a two-run double into right center.
Ashley Van Ryn led off the bottom of the fourth with her second home run of the season to bring the Golden Knights to within one of the Hatters.
Lindsay Wightman gave Stetson a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning when she hit a homer over the left field fence.
The Hatters added one more run in the top of the seventh on four hits to make the final score 5-2.
Erica Deemers earned the win for Stetson after giving up two runs on eight hits and two strikeouts, while Allison Kime was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on 10 hits and 10 strikeouts.
The Golden Knights return to the field on Tuesday, Feb. 21 when the Hofstra Pride comes to town. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at Merrill Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.