March 19, 2008
Orlando. Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team totaled nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings to surpass Jacksonville, 9-1, in five innings Wednesday afternoon at the UCF Softball Complex. Allison Kime (Brandon, Fla.) led the Knights at the plate and on the mound, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, while picking up her 10th win of the season, allowing only one run on four hits and striking out 10 batters.
Cat Snapp (Niceville, Fla.) and Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) each added a RBI in the contest, while McClain's double in the fifth inning gave the Knights an eight-run lead and allowed the game to be called due to the eight-run rule.
The game lasted only one hour and eight minutes and was the seventh in program history to clock in shorter than one hour and 10 minutes, tying for sixth all-time for the shortest on record. During the 2002 season, UCF posted a pair of games that lasted exactly one hour.
"We had a lot of success with the top of our lineup throughout the season," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "But this was a game where our entire lineup produced key hits. Even though we started off slow and gave up an early run, Cat (Snapp) came through with a big hit and gave us a spark in the fifth inning."
Jacksonville did not hesitate to post a run in the first inning, with Pat Melo hitting a triple down the left field line on the very first pitch of the game, then scoring on a wild pitch two pitches later, but that would be the only run the Dolphins would score in the game, as Kime fanned 10 batters after that point.
But the Knights had the answer to the Dolphins' score, posting two runs and taking the lead in the fourth inning thanks to a RBI single from Snapp and a pair of Jacksonville errors.
A one-run lead was not enough for the Black and Gold, as it plated seven runners in the fifth. The scoring barrage began with back-to-back singles from Marquita Council (Orlando, Fla.) and Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.), before a single, an error and a fielder's choice allowed Council to score and loaded the bases. Another error brought Lane home and Kime's double to the centerfield fence increased the Knights' lead to five runs. Pinch runner Morgan Bullard (Columbia, S.C.) scored on a pass ball by the Dolphins' catcher, while Kime was plated on a single by Brittany Hipple (Venice, Fla.). McClain ended the game with a double to right center field to score Hipple from first base.
The Knights continue their five-game home stand Thursday with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Iowa at the UCF Softball Complex.
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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