April 20, 2011
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Following an hour delay for inclement weather, the UCF (18-25, 8-7 C-USA) softball team was not able to pick up a non-conference win as No. 8 Florida (38-7, 13-6 SEC) defeated the visiting Knights, 8-1, Wednesday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Black and Gold tallied five hits in the contest, with senior Tawny Swan (Gilbert, Ariz.) leading the squad with a double and a RBI. Fellow senior Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) posted a hit and scored the Knights' lone run, Patrice Fee (Cocoa, Fla.) added a double and Allie Jest (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Ashley Schmitt (Tampa, Fla.) were also able to tally base knocks against the Gators.
Lacey Dinney (Binbrook, Ont.) was tagged with the loss in the circle for UCF to fall to 10-8 on the year after allowing eight runs on eight hits with five walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Hannah Rogers picked up the win in the circle for Florida to improve to 23-5 on the season.
UCF was not able to capitalize on opportunities to score with runners in scoring position in the first, second and seventh innings, as it stranded four runners on base in the game.
The Gators scored its first pair of runs early in the contest, posting two in the bottom of the first inning on a walk, a triple and a sacrifice fly.
UCF cut the home team's lead in half in the top of the second inning when Swan brought Lane in to score with a two-out RBI double over the left fielder's head. Lane reached base earlier in the frame on a single up the middle of the infield, before stealing second base to move into scoring position and set up Swan's double.
Dinney and the Knights' defense held Florida scoreless in the bottom of the second inning, but Brittany Schutte's three-run home run in the third put the Black and Gold in the four-run hole through three complete innings.
The Gators tagged on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run to centerfield by Kasey Fagan and a two-run shot by Kelsey Bruder down the right-field line put the Knights down by seven runs.
Schmitt recorded a two-out single off reliever Stephanie Brombacher in the top of the fifth inning, but the righty was able to post her first strikeout of the game to stop UCF's rally short.
Dinney found her groove in the fifth inning, as she and UCF's defense were able to hold the hard-hitting Gators to no runs and only two hits in the final two innings of play.
Fee hit a two-out double down the left-field to try and spark a UCF comeback in the top of the seventh, but it was too little, too late for the visitors as Brombacher once again worked her way out of the jam.
The Black and Gold concludes its four-game road swing this weekend when it travels to Memphis, Tenn., for a three-game C-USA series vs. the Tigers. The two teams will play Friday night in a 6 p.m. ET doubleheader, before concluding the series Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.