March 1, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team swept day two of the Altamonte Springs Tournament Saturday afternoon after defeating Villanova, 11-4, and Vermont, 8-2 at the Merrill Park Softball Complex. With the pair of victories, the Knights earned the No. 2 seed going into Sunday's bracket play.
In UCF's win over Vermont, Allison Kime (Brandon, Fla.) fanned 15 batters, a career high for seven innings of work.
Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) led the Black and Gold at the plate with two hits, including a home run against the Wildcats, and three RBI. The sophomore also earned the victory in the circle in the first game, allowing only two earned runs on seven hits.
In game one versus Villanova, it didn't take long for the UCF offense to get started as it scored three runs in the top half of the first inning. Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) walked and Kime knocked her around with a long double to left field. A throwing error by the Wildcat shortstop scored Kime from second and allowed Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.) to reach base with two outs. Two straight singles from Cole and Cat Snapp (Niceville, Fla.) brought in run number three and gave the Knights a three-run advantage.
A three-run home run off the bat of Cole in the second inning, plus an earlier run on an error, extended the Black and Gold lead to seven runs at the conclusion of one and one-half innings.
UCF added runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, before adding two more in the top of the seventh. Snapp started off the final inning with a single, and with two outs, Marquita Council (Orlando, Fla.) singled to the third baseman putting two runners on.
The Knights' bats remained hot in the second game against Vermont, putting two across in the first inning and adding three in the third. Two walks, a single and an error scored the runs in both frames.
Ashley Van Ryn (Atlanta, Ga.) added a run in the fourth inning, reaching base on a walk and coming around to score on a trio of miscues by the Catamount defense.
A home run by Lindsay Dean (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the seventh inning scored two runs and secured the victory for the Black and Gold.
UCF will play Sunday at Noon against the winner of the Villanova vs. Vermont game.
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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