March 19, 2011
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
TULSA, Okla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior pitcher Diana Rojas (Miami, Fla.) allowed only three hits in 3.2 innings of relief, but the damage had already been done as the UCF (10-19, 2-3 C-USA) softball team fell to Tulsa (21-7, 5-0 C-USA), 6-1, in the nightcap of its road Conference USA doubleheader Saturday at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
Rojas struck out one batter and walked one to close out the contest for the Knights in the circle, while freshman Haley Douglas (Pleasanton, Calif.) was saddled with the loss on the mound to fall to 0-4 on the year. Douglas allowed six runs on six hits with five walks in 2.1 innings of work.
Offensively, sophomore Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) paced the Black and Gold with a pair of hits and scored the team's only run. Seniors Ashley Schmitt (Tampa, Fla.) and Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) each added a hit apiece, with Lane tallying a RBI.
The Knights' lone run of the game came in the top of the seventh inning when Menendez led off the frame with a single to right field and advanced to second when junior Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) drew a one-out walk. A groundout to the right side moved the runners to second and third, before a single back to the pitcher off the bat of Lane allowed Menendez to touch home safely.
Tulsa jumped up by four runs in the first inning and extended its lead to six runs in the third inning on a home run, two walks and a pair of hits. The deficit was too much for the Knights to overcome as they fell to 0-2 on the day.
UCF concludes its three-game league series at Tulsa Sunday with a 1 p.m. ET contest.
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.