April 6, 2012
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
EL PASO, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF freshman Farrah Sullivan had a career day at the plate as she hit three home runs, two doubles and knocked in nine runs during a doubleheader sweep Friday at UTEP.
The Knights (28-10, 8-3 Conference USA) easily handled the Miners (12-26, 2-12) in the first game, 10-2, before setting a school record for runs in a conference game in a 17-5 win in game two.
UCF has won eight-straight games and it concludes its three-game series with UTEP with a single game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Game 1 - UCF 10, UTEP 2 - Box Score
The Knights rallied from an early deficit and cruised to an easy victory in game one of the doubleheader.
A solo homer by NCAA leader Camilla Carrera, her 23rd of the year, in the first inning and an unearned run in the second staked the Miners to an early 2-0 lead.
UCF broke through in the top of the fourth as junior Danielle Brewer brought home a runner from third with a perfectly placed safety squeeze. Later in the inning, the Knights tied the game on a wild pitch that scored freshman Kahley Novak and took the lead on an RBI single up the middle by senior Natalie Land. Novak had a big day as she was 6-for-7 with two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base in the doubleheader.
The Black and Gold scored seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings thanks to Sullivan's early power display. With two on and one out in the sixth, Sullivan scooped a line drive just over the wall in left field to put the Knights comfortably ahead 7-2. In the seventh inning with one on and one out, Sullivan blasted a deep two-run jack to center.
The game's most exciting moment took place in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded, two out and the Knights leading 7-2, freshman Mackenzie Audas was matched up with Carrera. In a battle between the No. 1 pitcher in C-USA and the No. 1 hitter, Carrera fouled two fastballs straight back before being completely fooled by a changeup as she struck out looking. Audas picked up the first save of her career with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Senior Ali Schmidt earned the victory to improve her conference record to 3-0 and her overall record to 9-2. She allowed just two hits and two runs while striking out two. Schmidt's ERA now stands at 1.50 on the season.
Game 2 - UCF 17, UTEP 5 - Box Score
UCF jumped on UTEP early and exploded late as they defeated the Miners going away, 17-5, in the nightcap.
Coming off a huge performance in the opener, Sullivan remained red hot as she hit another long ball and a pair of doubles to go with four RBI. Sullivan now leads the team with a .310 batting average, five home runs and 27 RBI.
UCF claimed an early lead in the first inning after an RBI on a based-loaded walk by freshman Hayley Barrow. Barrow went 4-for-6 with two runs and two walks for the day. Novak and senior Tawny Swan then followed with RBI singles to give the Knights a 3-0 advantage.
UTEP rallied and tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the third. With the score tied in the bottom of the fourth, Audas once again found herself matched up against Carrera with the bases loaded and two outs. Just like the first game, Audas struck out Carrera, this time on a rise ball, to end the inning. Audas struck out 12 in six innings as she picked up her 14th win of the season and lowered her ERA to 1.17 and her opponents batting average to .177
Fired up after Audas' big strikeout, the Black and Gold went wild in the final two innings as they scored 13 runs over the sixth and seventh frames. Sullivan hit an RBI double in the sixth and another massive two-run blast to straight away center in the seventh to complete her stellar performance. Land hit an RBI double during the run and went 3-for-8 with five runs, three RBI, three walks, and four stolen bases for the day.
Upcoming home games include a sold-out April 11 contest against in-state rival Florida. Season tickets are $25 and are available online at UCFAthletics.com and Ticketmaster.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000.
UCF fans can follow all of the action on UCF All-Access with live video and audio, and on UCFAthletics.com's Gametracker as well as www.twitter.com/UCF_Softball.