April 21, 2011
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team concludes its four-game road swing this weekend when it travels to Memphis for a three-game Conference USA series at Tiger Softball Complex. The two squads will face off Friday in a 6 p.m. ET doubleheader, before concluding the series Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Entering the tilt, the Knights trail Memphis by only a half game in league standings. The Black and Gold boasts an 8-7 C-USA record and an 18-25 overall record after earning its first sweep of 2011 vs. Marshall last weekend, while the Tigers hold a 28-10 record on the season and an 8-6 league clip and are coming off their bye week.
UCF has won five of its last six C-USA games heading into the weekend series in Tennessee, which includes its sweep of the Thundering Herd in Orlando last weekend and a series win at East Carolina the weekend prior. In the team's last two league series, junior Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) has swung the hottest bat for the Knights, posting a .588 batting average (10-for-17) with four runs scored, five walks and six stolen bases.
On the opposite side of the ball, senior Diana Rojas (Miami, Fla.) found her groove in the circle, registering a 2-1 record with a 0.79 ERA, 11 strikeouts and a shutout in 26.2 innings pitched.
In non-conference action, both UCF and Memphis faced teams from the SEC in mid-week contests this week, with the Black and Gold falling to in-state rival Florida, 8-1, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Wednesday night, while the Tigers defeated Arkansas, 14-2, in five innings in Sherwood, Ark., Tuesday evening.
When meeting on the diamond, the Knights lead the Tigers in the all-time series, 9-6, which includes a 2-4 clip at Tiger Softball Stadium, a 6-2 mark in Orlando and a perfect 1-0 record when battling at a neutral site.
The last time the two squads met was in the C-USA Championship semi-final last season. In the contest, the Black and Gold posted a 3-1 win to advance to its second league championship game appearance in three years. Former Knight Hillary Barrow paced the squad at the plate in that game, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Land, Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) each posted a hit and scored a run for the Knights.
The Knights and the Tigers split its regular-season series in Orlando in 2010, as Memphis took the first game, 1-0, before UCF bounced back to win the second game, 2-1. The opening game of the series was cancelled due to inclement weather in the central Florida area.
Fans can follow all of the action from Memphis on UCFAthletics.com via Gametracker for live stats and Knights All-Access for a live video stream of each game of the series.