April 3, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In its final game of a three-game Conference USA series, the UCF softball team was shut down by East Carolina, 6-0, Saturday afternoon at the UCF Softball Complex. The loss dropped the Knights' record to 22-16 on the season and 7-4 in league play.
"We seemed to be flat on offense the whole weekend," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "We just have to keep moving forward now, focus on what is next for us and put this weekend behind us."
Senior Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) suffered the loss in the circle for the Black and Gold, allowing four earned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings of work. The hurler struck out eight batters in the outing, while walking only one, but fell to 14-9 on the year.
Fellow senior Kristina DeMello (Mead, Wash.) entered the game in relief in the seventh inning, giving up one run on two hits in the final inning of play.
Offensively, UCF posted five hits off of ECU starter, Toni Paisley, but were unable to come up with a clutch hit as it stranded seven runners on base, including three alone in the fifth inning.
Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa), Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.), Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) and Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) all tallied hits in the contest, with Land and Lane each adding a stolen base.
The Knights had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in both the fourth and fifth innings, but Paisley was able to get herself out of both jams to stop the UCF rally.
"Paisley was just playing with us and setting us up for her pitches," Luers-Gillispie said. "Instead, we should have been looking to force her into an uncomfortable pitch by being patient and looking for a good pitch to hit."
The Knights return to non-conference action Wednesday at the UCF Softball Complex when in-state rival No. 16 Florida State makes the trip to Orlando. The first pitch for the contest is slated for 5 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2010 season are only $40 and are on sale now, while single-game tickets are also available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased online at UCFAthletics.com or through the Athletics Ticket Office by calling (407) 823-1000.
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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