March 22, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFKnights.com) - Junior Shelby Turnier tossed the second no-hitter of her career as No. 20 UCF Softball defeated East Carolina, 3-0, on a cloudy Sunday morning. The Knights improved to 29-5 on the season and 3-0 in American Athletic Conference action with the third shutout of the weekend at the ECU Softball Stadium.
"I've thrown a lot of one-hitters," Turnier said. "It seems like every time we get to the seventh inning, they hit a bloop, or they just somehow get a hit. It felt good to finally finish it all the way through and get that no-hitter."
Turnier became the third UCF pitcher to toss two no-hitters in their career, joining senior Mackenzie Audas and Allison Kime. She struck out a season-high 14 batters and gave up just one walk in the complete-game effort.
"I'm so excited for Shelby, and for the team, getting a no-hitter today and pitching the way that she did with 14 strikeouts," UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie. "The girls played great defense behind her and we're just really excited for the outcome."
After a scoreless first inning, the Knights posted the first run of the game in the top of the second. A fielding error allowed junior Kalyn Cenal open the inning on first base. Sophomore pinch runner Andrea Neswiacheny stole second and then advanced to third on a ground out. She scored on the second ECU error of the inning, giving the Knights an early 1-0 lead.
The Black and Gold put runners on in the third and fourth, but left them stranded in each of the innings.
Senior Maddy Schroeder opened the fifth inning with a single up the middle. A fielder's choice put sophomore Linnea Goodman on base, and she moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Kahley Novak. Senior Farrah Sullivan's RBI single landed in fair territory, allowing Goodman to score and extend the UCF lead to 2-0.
Junior Jessica Ujvari followed Sullivan's hit with a hard ball out to center field, scoring Sullivan and giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.
The Pirates opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a walk, but Turnier closed out the inning with three consecutive strikeouts to strand the runner on first.
The Knights had an opportunity to extend the lead in the seventh inning, but left runners on second and third. East Carolina was retired in order in the bottom of the inning, securing UCF's first conference sweep of 2015.
UCF Softball, which is presented by City Kia of Greater Orlando, returns to action with a pair of midweek games at FIU and FAU. UCF and FIU are slated for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday, followed by a 4 p.m. matchup at FAU on Thursday. The Knights are back at the UCF Softball Stadium next weekend, hosting UConn in the first home conference series of the season.