April 7, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Following a critical Conference USA victory over No. 9 Houston on Sunday, the UCF softball team gears up to host Bethune-Cookman and Florida State in a trio of non-conference contests mid-week at the UCF Softball Complex. Tuesday's game against the Wildcats is slated for 5 p.m. and has been named Faculty/Staff Night, while Wednesday's doubleheader with the Seminoles is the Knights' annual "Pack the House" event sponsored by SunTrust and is set to get underway at 4 p.m. Admission to both events is free of charge.
Previewing Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats make the trip to Orlando with a 12-28 record on the season and a 6-0 record in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contests, posting wins over teams such as South Alabama, Tennessee State, Southeast Missouri, Cornell, Norfolk State and South Carolina State.
Allison Garcia paces the Wildcats at the plate, registering a .343 batting average, 37 hits and eight doubles, while teammate Brandi Holley boasts a .307 average, 31 hits, seven doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBI in 2008. Allison Garcia has seen the most time in the circle for Bethune-Cookman this season, recording a 4.03 ERA and a 11-15 record in 158.0 innings pitched.
UCF is 10-4 all-time when facing the Wildcats.
Previewing Florida State
The Seminoles venture to the UCF Softball Complex with a 31-15 record on the season and a 7-5 Atlantic Coast Conference mark, earning victories over teams such as UAB, Jacksonville, North Carolina, Iowa, No. 1 Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton and Maryland during the year. Florida State held a 13-game winning streak from March 2-20.
Brittany Osman has been enjoying her senior season, registering a .344 batting average and 44 hits, while leading the Seminoles with seven doubles, six home runs, 37 RBI, a .570 slugging percentage and a .415 on-base percentage. Tiffany McDonald holds a 13-5 record in 2008, posting a 1.32 ERA in 116.2 innings pitched, while fanning 151 batters.
The Knights trail Florida State in the all-time series, 9-2, splitting a doubleheader with the Seminoles in 2007.
Pull Off the Upset
Allison Kime went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI to lead the UCF softball team to a 6-4 upset over No. 9 Houston (32-5, 10-1 C-USA) at the UCF Softball Complex Sunday afternoon. The senior also picked up the win in the circle for the Knights, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, while striking out five in six innings of relief. The win boosted Kime's record to 19-8 on the season and 8-2 in Conference USA play, while also snapping the Cougars' seven-game winning streak. The UCF victory was also the first all-time against Houston.
Pack the House, 2008
As the annual `Pack the House' event hits the UCF Softball Complex on Wednesday, the Knights look to break the home attendance record against Florida State that was set almost exactly four years ago, against the same Seminole squad. On April 10, 2004, a record 523 dedicated fans watched the Knights fall, 2-1 and 3-2, to Florida State in a doubleheader at the old UCF Softball Complex, a program home attendance record. That season, the Seminoles registered a 62-12 record and moved on to the Women's College World Series, posting a 1-2 mark in Oklahoma City. The attendance record at the new UCF Softball Complex sits at 407, a clip reached when the Knights welcomed No. 24 Florida to Orlando on April 19, 2006.
Last Time Out vs. Bethune-Cookman
By scoring a combined 27 runs on 31 hits, the UCF softball team run-ruled Bethune-Cookman in both games of a doubleheader on March 15, 2007 at the UCF Softball Complex, 9-1 and 18-2. The Knights scored 17 runs in the first inning of game two, which tied for second-most (Jacksonville in 2004 and Arizona in 2001) in the NCAA Division I record books.
UCF's 38 total bases in the second outing smashed the school mark of 31 set in 2005, however it fell one hit shy of tying the record of 22 hits in a ballgame. Meanwhile, Kacie Feaster came within a single of hitting for UCF's first cycle in program history, as she recorded all three of her extra-base hits in the first inning. Also entering the record books, Hillary Barrow posted two triples to become just the second Knight (Stephanie Best, 2003) to accomplish the feat in a game.
Bright House Student-Athlete of the Week
Allison Kime helped lead the Knights to a 2-1 record on the week, including a league win over No. 9 Houston, pacing the Knights at the plate with a .625 batting average. The senior went 5-for-8 with a home run, four runs scored and three RBI, while registering a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. Kime recorded a hit in all of the Knights' three games, including a 3-for-3 performance, with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the upset victory over the Cougars Sunday afternoon. Against Houston on Saturday, Kime scored the Knights' only run and registered one of their total five hits. Kime also posted a hit, a run and a RBI in the Knights' 7-0 blanking of North Florida Wednesday night.
Who You Gonna Call....?
With bases load this season, Lindsay Dean is batting .800, capitalizing on four of her five opportunities to drive runners in, which includes a grand-slam home run in the Knights', 7-0, win over North Florida last Wednesday. Also a stable presence at the plate when the bases are juiced is freshman Abby McClain, who holds a .750 average, getting a hit in three of her four opportunities. McClain has also made the most of her plate appearances when runners are at third with less than two outs, posting nine RBI in 14 chances, good for a .643 clip.
First of the Season
Kime's two-out home run off Houston's Angel Shamblin on Sunday was the first round-tripper for the Knights this season at the UCF Softball Complex. Of UCF's 10 total home runs this season, nine have come on the road. The Black and Gold belted out six bombs at the Hawaii Paradise Classic, while adding two more blasts at the Altamonte Springs Tournament.
The Queen of Multiple-Hit Games
Multiple-hit games are becoming second nature for Breanne Javier in 2008, as the junior's two-hit performance in the win over No. 9 Houston on Sunday was her 15th game of 2008 posting two hits. Of the Knights' 47 total games played this season, Javier has tallied 19 multiple-hit games, including a career-high four-hit performance against East Carolina on March 8 and three three-hit performances, with each coming against Central Arkansas, Long Beach State and Kentucky.
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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