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UCF Softball Hosts Tournament at Merrill Park

March 2, 2006

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ORLANDO-The UCF softball team hosts the UCF Softball Tournament at Merrill Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. March 3-5. Participants include Bethune-Cookman (5-6), Creighton (2-3), New Mexico State (12-7), Villanova (1-3) and UCF (8-7). The Golden Knights open the tournament against Creighton Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Scouting UCF...Cici Alvarez leads the Golden Knights' offense with a .413 batting average, 19 hits, 13 runs and six walks. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native has hit safely in the last eight games, with four of the eight being multi-hit games. Amber Lamb paces the team in slugging percentage (.545) after hitting two home runs and one double. Freshman Breanne Javier has been a pleasant surprise all the way around. Javier is currently first in putouts (133), second in hits (15) and third in batting average (.306). In the circle for the Golden Knights, Lexi Gresham has a 1.57 ERA in 22.1 innings of work with a 2-2 record. Allison Kime leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 47 after striking out 10 against Stetson (2/19) and Samford (2/25).

Last Time Out...The Golden Knights participated in the Stetson Tournament where the squad went 2-2 for the weekend. For the weekend, Cici Alvarez was 7-for-13 at the plate with five runs and one RBI. Ashley Baker earned her first win of the season for the Golden Knights against Marist as she gave up one run on five hits, three strikeouts and no walks.

Scouting Creighton...The Bluejays are 2-3 on the season after playing in the Tulsa Festival last weekend. Lauren Cisneros paces the team with a .400 batting average after going 6-for-15 with five runs, one double, three home runs and six RBI. Stephanie Cortese (1-1) leads the pitching staff with a 1.79 ERA, including 13 strikeouts and four walks.

Last Time Out...The Bluejays defeated Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe last weekend at the Tulsa Festival, while losing to Tulsa, North Texas and Boston College.

Series vs. Creighton...The Golden Knights and the Bluejays have never met on the softball diamond.

Scouting New Mexico State...The Aggies enter the tournament with a 12-7 record, led by Stephanie Herrera's .378 batting average. Mailei Hilva leads the team in home runs (5) and RBI (15). In the circle for New Mexico State, Sarah Seagraves has a 1.85 ERA with a 6-4 record in 75.2 innings of work.

Last Time Out...The Aggies participated in the UTEP Tournament in El Paso, Texas last weekend and finishted 2-2. New Mexico State defeated Northern Colorado, 11-3, in the team's final game of the tournament. Wendy Gray went 2-for-2 against the Bears with two runs and four RBI. Jamie Nussbaum earned the win for the Aggies, pitching 1.2 perfect innings with four strikeouts.

Series vs. New Mexico State...This weekend's game will mark the first meeting between the Golden Knights and the Aggies on the softball field.

Scouting Villanova...The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 1-3 record after playing in the Elon University Invitational last weekend. Meghan Morese leads the team with a .385 batting average after going 5-for-13 in the tournament. Laura Determan is 1-2 in the circle for Villanova with a 3.42 ERA. Determan has given up 12 runs on 12 hits in 14.1 innings of work.

Last Time Out...The Wildcats opened the season with a 6-0 win over Ohio, before falling to Oakland, Elon and Towson at the Elon University Invitational last weekend.

Series vs. Villanova...The Golden Knights and the Wildcats have never met on the softball diamond.

Scouting Bethune-Cookman...Tiffany Bowser paces the Wildcats with a .346 batting average. Bowser leads the team in hits (9) and total bases (11). Viveca Patterson is 3-2 in the circle for Bethune-Cookman with a 2.76 ERA.

Last Time Out...The Wildcats were swept by Western Michigan (2-1, 6-0) in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Series vs. Bethune-Cookman...The Golden Knights lead the all-time series, 8-3. The two teams last met on Feb. 15, 2005 at Merrill Park in Altamonte Springs. Bethune-Cookman took game one, 6-2, while UCF won the second, 3-0. Allison Kime threw a no-hitter for the Golden Knights in the second game, striking out four and walking none. Nicole Balogh and Magon Paul were both 2-for-4 at the plate for the two games with one run and one double.

Conference Statistics...The Golden Knights have shown that they are among the best in the conference when it comes to conference statistics. Cici Alvarez is ranked in the top ten for batting average (.413), on base percentage (.481), runs scored (13), hits (19), sacrifice bunts (5), stolen bases (7), total plate appearances (57) and assists (40). Kacie Feaster's name sits atop the doubles list with six, second for triples with one and sixth for total bases (25) and at-bats (50).