April 15, 2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team had three different players record hits Wednesday night, but the squad could not get a timely hit as it fell to No. 1/1 Florida, 3-0, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.), Morgan Bullard (Columbia, S.C.) and Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) all posted hits for the Knights, with Perez knocking a double into left field to lead off the second inning.
UCF kept finding ways to get runners on base throughout the contest, putting runners in scoring position in both the second and third innings, but ended up stranding seven runners on base.
Senior Magon Paul (Virginia Beach, Va.) was tagged with the loss in the circle, giving up two runs on one hit in two innings of work. Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) finished the game for the Black and Gold, holding the Gators to one run on four hits, while striking out one in four innings of relief.
Florida took a two-run advantage in the third inning, plating a pair of runs on a wild pitch and a RBI single, but Cole and the Knights' defense held the hard-hitting Gators scoreless through the next two innings. Florida then scored a third run in the sixth to put the Knights down by three.
Land hit a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning, pleasing a large group of hometown family and friends, to keep the Black and Gold alive, but Florida starter, Stephanie Brombacher, picked up her 10th strikeout of the evening to end the game and give the Gators their 43rd win of the season.
The Knights are back in action this weekend when they travel to Texas to face Conference USA-foe Houston in a three-game league series. The series kicks-off with a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader on Saturday, before concluding with a single game at 1 p.m. ET.
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.
-UCF-