April 9, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - A record crowd of 687 Knight fans watched as the UCF softball team swept a doubleheader from in-state rival Florida State (31-17) Wednesday night at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights won the opening contest, 2-0, before taking the nightcap, 4-1. Junior Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.) paced the Black and Gold (35-15, 10-4 C-USA) at the plate, posting four hits and a run, while freshmen Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) made some noise with three hits, two runs and a RBI.
The attendance broke the previous all-time record of 523 set on April 10, 2004, almost exactly four years ago, against the same Florida State squad in a doubleheader at the old UCF Softball Complex. It also eclipsed the stadium record of 407 that was set against No. 24 Florida on April 19, 2006.
Allison Kime (Brandon, Fla.) and Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) both picked up wins in the circle for the home team, allowing only one run in a combined 14 innings of work.
"Ashleigh and Allison both put together great performances on the mound," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "They kept the FSU batters off balance, while the defense played solid behind them in the field."
Kime blanked the Seminoles in game one, allowing only four hits and a walk, while striking out 11 batters for her 20th victory of the season. The senior has now posted 13 wins in her last 14 appearances, while her team has claimed 21victories in its last 24 contests.
Kime recorded her 700th career strikeout on the first batter she faced and went on to fan four-consecutive batters after that point. Her 222 strikeouts on the season tie her for second all-time on the UCF single-season register, matching her season total from 2006, and she needs only 44 more strikeouts to match her program season-record 266 strikeouts from last season.
Cole held her own in game two, also allowing only four hits to the Seminoles, while striking out three. The victory improved the sophomore's record to 13-6 on the season and dropped her ERA from 2.03 to 1.98.
Offensively, Marquita Council (Orlando, Fla.) stepped up big for the Knights in game one, pounding out two hits and registering both of the Knights' RBI, improving her batting average to .320 on the season, while Javier and McClain did most of their damage in the nightcap, both going 3-for-3 from the plate. McClain also scored two runs and posted a RBI, while Javier walked and scored a run.
"Marquita, Tiffany (Lane), Breanne and Abby strung together key hits in opportune situations," Luers-Gillispie said. "The sweep tonight was a whole team effort against a quality Florida State program. The fan support that we had at the ballpark was outstanding. They really gave the team the extra push to get things done."
In game one, the Knights took an early lead in the bottom of the third inning after Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) tripled and scored on a RBI single to left field by Council.
Council recorded her second RBI of the contest in the fourth inning, nailing a bases-loaded single up the middle of the infield to score Cat Snapp (Niceville, Fla.), who reached earlier in the inning on a fielder's choice. At the end of four innings, the Knights held a 2-0 advantage over the Seminoles.
Florida State threatened in the sixth inning, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs following a lead-off single from pinch hitter Kelly Langston and a double by Carly Wynn. But, Kime got out of the jam, striking out the next two batters and getting the third to groundout to second base, securing the win for the Knights.
In game two, the Black and Gold registered at least one hit in every frame but one to take a 4-1 win from the visiting Seminoles.
The Knights quickly scored a run in the second inning to go up 1-0 after Snapp reached on a two-out single and scored on a line-drive single by McClain.
Another run crossed the plate for the home team in the third inning, thanks to the good eye of Snapp. The senior watched four balls go by to draw the bases-loaded walk and score the Knights second run of the game, giving her team a 2-0 advantage.
FSU drew within one run of UCF in the fourth inning, plating a run on a double and a single, but Cole's third strikeout of the contest got the Black and Gold out of the inning and salvaged the, 2-1, lead.
UCF took the run back in the bottom half of the frame, extending its lead to two runs. McClain reached on a lead-off single, before Javier drew a two-out walk. A single by Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.) advanced the runners and a throwing error by the FSU pitcher allowed McClain to touch the plate.
A throwing miscue by the FSU defense allowed the Knights to plate an insurance run in the sixth inning, giving them a 4-1 lead, which would be the score at the conclusion of the game.
The Knights hit the field next on Saturday when they travel to El Paso, Texas for a Conference USA match-up with UTEP. The first game of the series is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET.
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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