Feb. 18, 2009
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Sophomore Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) belted a two-RBI double in the eighth inning to lift the UCF (5-6) softball team to a 5-3 extra-inning victory over Jacksonville (3-9) Wednesday night at the JU Softball Complex. The centerfielder paced the Knights with three hits, including a double and a triple, two RBI and one run scored.
Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) picked up the win in the circle for the Black and Gold, improving her record to 3-2 on the season. The hurler pitched 3.1 innings of relief to register the victory, not allowing a single hit and giving up only a walk.
Senior Lindsay Dean (Jacksonville, Fla.) also recorded three hits on the evening and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning for the visiting Knights.
Besides McClain, three additional players posted extra-base hits in the win, with Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.) blasting a two-run double, Magon Paul (Virginia Beach, Va.) hitting a RBI double and Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.) hitting her fifth double in her last six games.
After falling down by one run after the first inning, the Knights rallied back for a run of their own in the second frame to even the score. Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) led off the inning with a walk, before Paul knocked her around with a RBI double down the right field line.
Javier extended UCF's lead to two runs in the third inning, scoring McClain and Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) on a line-drive double to left centerfield. Both McClain and Land reached base earlier in the frame on back-to-back errors by the Dolphins' infield.
UCF's starting pitcher, Paul would hold the Dolphins scoreless through three innings, until the home team evened the score with two runs in the fifth inning on a triple, two singles and a fielder's choice.
The Knights would bring Cole in relief with two outs in the fifth to finish the game. Paul would come out of the game after allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits, while recording three strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.
UCF threatened in the in the eighth inning with two outs after Dean reached on a single to centerfield and advanced into scoring position with Tenisha Dixon's (New Port Richey, Fla.) first collegiate hit, setting the scene for McClain. The sophomore took advantage of her opportunity, plating both runners with a booming double to right centerfield to put the Black and Gold in the lead by two runs in extra innings.
Cole and the Knights' defense were able to retire the Dolphins in order to in the bottom half of the eighth to seal the victory.
The Knights return to the UCF Softball Complex Friday where they will host the UCF Comfort Suites Invitational and begin a 13-game home stretch. The Knights will kick-off the event with a 2:30 p.m. contest against Portland State, before closing out the night with a 6:30 p.m. match-up with Illinois-Chicago. On Saturday, the Black and Gold will battle both Boston College and Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
Season tickets are on sale now for the 2009 softball season, which features 34 home games at the UCF Softball Complex. For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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