March 18, 2011
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
TULSA, Okla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team hits the road for the first time in 17 games this weekend as it travels to Tulsa for a three-game Conference USA series at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex. The Knights will play the Golden Hurricane in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. ET, before concluding the series Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
UCF enters the series with a 10-17 record on the season after coming from behind to defeat Liberty Wednesday, 4-3, in thrilling fashion at the UCF Softball Complex. The Black and Gold also holds a 2-1 league clip following a series victory over UTEP last weekend.
Allie Jest (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) and Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) pace UCF offensively, as each boasts a batting average over .300. Jest leads the trio with a .387 average, while Land and McClain are batting .361 and .308, respectively, overall.
Lacey Dinney (Binbrook, Ont.) continues to prove herself as the Knights' ace, having picked up the squad's last three wins in the circle to improve to 7-4 on the year. The junior has a team-best 2.42 ERA and 62 strikeouts, while also holding her opponents to a .197 batting average.
After sweeping its C-USA series vs. Marshall last weekend, Tulsa hosts the Black and Gold with a 19-7 overall record and a 3-0 league mark, while also having won nine of its last 10 contests.
Caitlin Everett leads the Golden Hurricane offensively with a .395 batting average and 32 hits, while Aimee Creger holds a 9-1 record in the circle with a 0.95 ERA, three shutouts and 111 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.
The all-time series between the Knights and the Golden Hurricane is even at 8-8 heading into the weekend, while UCF is 2-4 all-time when facing Tulsa on the road.
The Knights have 11 home games remaining on their 2011 schedule, including a contest vs. in-state rival Florida State on April 6, with season tickets for the season costing only $40. Tickets are available for purchase online at UCFAthletics.com and Ticketmaster.com, or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000.