Altamonte Springs, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team moved its record to 16-9 on the season after taking third place at the Altamonte Springs Tournament Sunday. The Golden Knights blanked the Holy Cross Crusaders, 9-0, in five innings of play and followed up the victory with a close 3-2 decision over South Alabama thanks to home runs by Kacie Feaster (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Academy) and Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.).
The Black and Gold used four pitchers over the two-game span, combining for 10 strikeouts in 12 innings and giving up only two runs on eights total hits.
Game One Recap
Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla./Pace) picked up her sixth win of the season, allowing only one hit while throwing three scoreless innings for UCF. The freshman also led the offensive attack, going 3-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored.
The Golden Knights jumped out to an early lead in the second inning when Cole ripped a single up the middle and Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.) walked to put two runners on. Lindsay Dean (Jacksonville, Fla./Mandarin) followed with a RBI single to score Cole from third base, allowing UCF to go up, 1-0. Three consecutive walks to Morgan Bullard (Columbia, S.C.), Feaster and Cici Alvarez (Pembroke Pines, Fla./McArthur) put UCF ahead, 3-0, to end the second.
The UCF bats caught fire again in the fourth when the Golden Knights put six more runs on the board. With one out, Bullard reached first on a fielder's choice and advanced to third after the Crusaders' catcher made an error on a bunt from Feaster. With one out, Alvarez singled to score both Golden Knight base runners, and she eventually reached third on a throw home. Holy Cross pitcher Julie Gurard then threw the ball past the catcher, plating Alvarez to put UCF on top, 6-0.
Amber Lamb spanked her sixth double of the year to left-center field, and came around to score another run for the Black and Gold following Cole's second single of the game keeping the Golden Knights in the lead, 7-0. Barrow claimed first base on an error with two outs and Ashley Van Ryn crushed a two-run triple to right field to seal the win for the Golden Knights, 9-0.
UCF pounded out eight hits in the five inning affair, two for extra bases.
Game Two Recap
Feaster apparently liked what she saw when she swung at the first pitch of the game delivered by South Alabama pitcher Amanda Leggett. The center fielder sent the ball soaring over the left-field fence for her third lead-off home run of the season and her fourth four-bagger of the year, giving UCF an early 1-0 lead.
The game remained the same until the top of the fourth inning when Lamb took a base on balls and was plated on a monstrous home run off the bat of Javier into right center to increase the UCF lead, 3-0.
The Jaguars threatened in the bottom of the inning, getting two singles off UCF starter Lexi Gresham (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West) to put runners at first and second with one out. Javier made a nice play at first to get out number two, but South Alabama catcher Kristen Hayes belted a two-out single to right field. Both base runners scored on the hit cutting UCF's lead to 3-2. Junior hurler Allison Kime (Brandon, Fla.) came in to close out the inning, striking out Taylor Rich for the third out.
Kime got the win in the circle for UCF, accumulating five strikeouts and holding South Alabama hitless in 3.1 innings of relief.
After a long stretch of games over the past week, the Black and Gold will next be in action March 10 when it travels to Greenville, N.C., to take on East Carolina for its first Conference USA match-up of the season. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.