Feb. 27, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team battled hard, but fell to No. 12 Michigan, 3-1, in a nine-inning affair at the UCF Softball Complex Wednesday night. Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) was solid for the Knights (10-9) in the circle pitching 8.1 innings, allowing only three runs on five hits, while striking out five. With the loss, the sophomore fell to 3-4 on the season.
"I was excited to see Cole step up and throw the way that she did," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "She had a great outing tonight against a tough-hitting Michigan team, and proved that she can be a key number two pitcher for us this season."
Senior Ashley Van Ryn (Atlanta, Ga.) led the Black and Gold at the plate with a RBI single and a sacrifice hit, while Cole added a double in the fifth inning. Two additional players posted a hit in the game, with Allison Kime (Brandon, Fla.) belting a single and posting the Knights' lone run and Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) adding a single in the third.
UCF jumped on the Wolverines (12-2) early in the contest. Kime led off the second inning with a single up the middle of the infield and reached second courtesy of a Michigan error. Van Ryn's single down the right field line brought Kime around to score, giving the Knights a 1-0 advantage.
The Wolverines threatened to even the score in the fourth inning with two outs after Molly Baucher reached base, getting hit by a pitch delivered from Cole. A putout to first base moved her to second, before a single up the middle off the bat of Samantha Findlay had the coach waive her home, but a perfect throw by Van Ryn from centerfield nailed Baucher at the plate.
The Knights retained their one-run lead through the sixth inning, before Michigan put one across in the top of the seventh to tie the game, 1-1. But, the Wolverines added two runs in the ninth inning to take the game from the home team.
UCF stays close to home this weekend, taking part in the Altamonte Springs Tournament in nearby Altamonte Springs, Fla. The Knights open the tournament with a 2 p.m. contest Friday against in-state rival Florida A&M, before facing the USA Olympic Team later that night at 7:30 p.m. The Black and Gold will also face Villanova, Vermont and possibly Maryland at the three-day event.
Season tickets for the 2008 season are still available and can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000. 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. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics
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