10528571052857

UCF Softball to Host UAB in Pivotal Conference USA Series This Weekend.

UAB Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader

April 13, 2007

Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Conference USA play resumes for the Golden Knights this weekend when UAB comes to Orlando for a three-game league series. Saturday should be a fun-filled day as the doubleheader is complimented by Parents' Day as well as "Cram the Complex" day, in which UCF will attempt to break the home attendance record. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1 p.m. with the nightcap to follow. Sunday's contest is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Cram the Complex Community Knight

UCF vs. UAB
Saturday, April 14
*Past campers and community leaguers wearing their uniforms receive free admission with paid adult.
*Policemen, firefighters and their families receive $2 off all tickets.
*Free food for the first 100 students through the gate; courtesy of SGA.

Previewing UAB

Last weekend the Blazers took two wins from C-USA foe East Carolina to move their season record to 26-20 and 7-7 in league play. With the series win, UAB jumped into a three-way tie for third in the conference standings with UCF and Tulsa. Pacing the Blazers' offense is senior Lindsay Stanley who is tops in batting average (.378), runs scored (24) and hits (62) on her squad. Junior Jennifer Nelson takes control from the circle as she holds a 17-9 record with a 1.41 ERA. The pitcher has recorded 215 strikeouts in 189.0 innings.

Remember When...

April 8, 2006, marked the first time the Golden Knights and the Blazers battled head-to-head. UAB swept the series, but not without a fight. In game one, the Black and Gold struck first, getting an RBI single from Brittany Walters to score Kacie Feaster in its first at-bat. But that would be the only run UCF would manufacture. The Blazers tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning before scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth. UAB went on to win the next two games of the series, 2-0 and 7-5.

Nationally Ranked

Cici Alvarez and Allison Kime positioned themselves among the elite softball players in the country as they both ranked in the top five in the NCAA national rankings.

Alvarez is fourth in the nation in sacrifice hits with 0.45 per game (Jessica Hejna, UCSB, 0.53). Alvarez currently has 22 sacrifice hits on the season and her 88 career sac hits tops the UCF all-time charts.

A dominating second half of the season has helped propell Kime to fifth in the nation with a 0.76 earned-run average (Monica Abbott, Tenn., 0.41). The junior hurler has allowed only three earned runs in her last 95.1 innings of work, which includes a 12-inning shutout over Florida State on March 28.

Get `Er Done

Megan Murphy had the Golden Knights' lone RBI in UCF's non-conference doubleheader split with FAU on Wednesday night. With Breanne Javier perched at second base, Murphy hit a single to bring Javier all the way home for what would eventually become the game-winning run.

Records are Meant to be Broken

Allison Kime became UCF's career strikeout leader on April 4 after pitching seven hitless innings in a 1-0 victroy over Stetson. The old Golden Knights' record, held by Dottie Cupp, took the backseat when Kime totaled her 404th strikeout in the fifth inning. Kime's accomplishment is even more impressive because she is only in her second yeat at UCF.

Done in a "Snapp"

Junior Cat Snapp tied the UCF single-game record for sacrifice flies on Tuesday night after she launched two RBIs into the outfield against Jacksonville. The feat was last accomplished by Jennifer Whitley in 2003.

The Three Amigos

Not only is Allison Kime the fifth ranked pitcher in ERA in the country, but the fire-baller, along with Ashleigh Cole and Lexi Gresham, have combined to produce one of the most feared pitching staffs as well. The trio pitched its way to the fifth spot in the NCAA national rankings with a 1.27 team ERA (Tennessee, 0.53).

Holy Javier

Breanne Javier turned in a flawless performance on Tuesday as she was 3-for-3 on the night with a double off the center-field wall that drove in one of UCF's four runs in a victory over Jacksonville.

1, 2, 3 Strikes You're Out

Ashleigh Cole recorded a career high nine strikeouts despite taking the loss in Wednesday's nightcap with FAU, 1-0, up from her previous high of five whiffs.

No Hits for You

In UCF's April 4th contest with Stetson, Allison Kime pitched her first no-hitter of the season, and the third of her career, on her way to a 1-0 shutout victory over the Hatters.

Conference USA Players of the Week

Freshman Hillary Barrow and junior Allison Kime were named Conference USA Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Monday, April 2. The two weekly awards were the third and fourth of the season for the UCF softball team, while it was the first time in UCF softball history that two Knights were honored in the same week.

Fly By Knight

Hillary Barrow shares the top spot in Conference USA for sacrifice flies with two UTEP batters. All three hitters have three sac flies on the season.

This is Why We're Hot

UCF is 9-0 when it scores six or more runs in a contest and 7-1 when it hits one home run in a game. The Golden Knights are 26-8 when they outhit an opponent and 24-4 when they score first.

Better Late Than Never

Hillary Barrow has been swinging a hot bat in the second half of this season. In the last 19 games, the freshman has recorded 11 of her 14 total RBI, 22 of her 35 hits and has scored eight of her 13 runs. Barrow has also hit all of her seven doubles in her last 13 contests. The second baseman has struck out once in her last 60 at-bats.

Selfless Acts

The Knights used six sacrifice bunts in their 7-0 victory over Marshall on April 1, which tied the UCF single-game record for most in a game. Megan Murphy and Breanne Javier laid down two sacrifice bunts in the game, while Ashleigh Cole and Amber Lamb also added one apiece.

I am No. 1

Allison Kime currently ranks No. 1 in Conference USA with a 0.40 ERA against league teams and in overall ERA with a 0.76 mark. Ashleigh Cole joins Kime at the top of the list, allowing only one home run in 2007.

This Day in UCF Softball History

April 14 - In 2004, the Golden Knights dropped an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader with Troy, 5-3 and 3-2. Two years and a new conference later, UCF secured a pair of victories over Memphis, 2-1 and 4-3, in C-USA play.
April 15 - The following day, the Black and Gold lost game three to Memphis, 3-1. But, in 2005, UCF split another A-Sun doublehader, this time against Georgia State. The win came in game one, 4-0, before the Knights were handed a 6-2 loss in the nightcap.

For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports.