March 8, 2009
TULSA, Okla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Mary Helen Tyler (Marianna, Fla.) posted two hits and two RBI, but it was not enough as the UCF (14-12, 0-3 C-USA) softball team fell to Tulsa (15-5, 3-0 C-USA) in its Conference USA series finale, 8-2, Sunday afternoon at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
The Knights led the contest for four innings, before the Golden Hurricane tagged seven runs on the board in the sixth frame to sweep the league-series from the Black and Gold.
Besides Tyler, freshman Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) also had two hits in the contest, while Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.), Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) and Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.) each added a hit.
Barrow's double in the sixth inning was her 10th of the season, and ties her for the eighth position on the UCF all-time register with 25 career doubles.
The game began with Tulsa scoring one run in the first inning, but Tyler made sure that the home team's lead did not last too long. The junior hit a two-out, two-RBI single to centerfield in the fourth inning to put the Knights on top, 2-1. Javier led off the fourth with a single through the left side and advanced to second on a single by Perez. With runners at first and second, Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, before Tyler knocked them in.
The Knights would maintain their lead through the fifth inning, before the Golden Hurricane would put seven additional runs on the board in the sixth frame on seven hits.
Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) suffered the loss in the circle for UCF, giving up six earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work, dropping her record to 8-4 on the year.
UCF returns home Tuesday when they host Ball State and Kennesaw State in a non-conference doubleheader at the UCF Softball Complex beginning at 3 p.m.
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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