Feb. 22, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
HONOLULU, Hawaii (UCFKnights.com) -No. 19 UCF Softball punched its ticket to the Bank of Hawaii Invitational championship game with a 6-0 win over Hawaii on Sunday morning. The Knights improved to 11-1 and will face the winner of the No. 16/17 Washington-UTEP game currently being played.
"This was a solid team win," UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "Our pitching, hitting, base running, everything was just strong. These girls played hard and wanted to win to get to the championship game."
Junior Shelby Turnier tossed a one-hit game with nine strikeouts in five innings of work for her seventh win of the season. Junior Jamie Ujvari closed out the final two innings, striking out five of the eight batters she faced.
The UCF bats came out hot. With two outs in the first, junior Jessica Ujvari hit her second home run of the season and UCF's third of the weekend to put the Knights up 1-0. After junior Sam McCloskey walked, junior Kalyn Cenal put runners on second and third with a standing double. A wild pitch sent McCloskey home, pushing the UCF lead to 2-0.
The Knights added to the score in the second, as sophomore Linnea Goodman's triple to left field scored senior Farrah Sullivan. After a scoreless third inning, the Goodman-Sullivan combo went to work in the fourth. After reaching on a Rainbow Warriors error, Sullivan made it a 3-0 ballgame on an RBI single from Goodman.
UCF opened the sixth with back-to-back hits from Je. Ujvari and McCloskey. Sullivan's hard-hit single to right center scored McCloskey and pinch runner Megan Greenwell, putting the dagger into Hawaii with a 6-0 game.
Five Knights notched hits in the win, including two each for Goodman, Je. Ujvari and McCloskey. Sullivan, McCloskey and redshirt junior Blaire Kelley drew walks for the Knights.
UCF Softball, which is presented by City Kia, is back in action on Wednesday, traveling to No. 1 Florida for a 6:05 p.m. game against the Gators on the SEC Network +. The Black and Gold are back at home for the Wilson/DeMarini Invitational Feb. 27-March 1.