April 3, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
TULSA, Okla. (UCFKnights.com) -- It was a tale of two games between No. 16 UCF Softball and Tulsa at the Collins Family Softball Complex on Friday. UCF (35-6, 7-1 AAC) opened the series with a 2-1 win in 16 innings, the longest game in program history. In the nightcap, the Hurricane used a sixth-inning rally to earn a 5-4 win and hand the Knights their first American Athletic Conference loss of the season.
"I think our offense is alive right now," UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "They've seen all three (Tulsa) pitchers. They understand what they've got to do against Tulsa tomorrow. It's just going to be the energy level tomorrow, being able to come back from (today's games) and have the energy we need to (win) the series."
The series opener was a record-setting game for the Knights. In addition to it being the longest game in school history, junior Shelby Turnier tossed a program-record 16 innings, passing Allison Kime's previous record of 15 innings in the circle. In her 16th complete game of the season, she struck out 14 batters to collect her 17th win of the 2015 campaign.
Seniors Kahley Novak and Farrah Sullivan set a new record with eight at-bats each, while UCF tied the team record with 54 at-bats. Senior Maddy Schroeder went 4-for-6 at the plate to lead the Knights.
After three and a half scoreless innings, Tulsa pushed the first run of the game across in the bottom of the fourth.
The Knights responded in the top of the sixth. With one out, junior Jessica Ujvari singled through the left side. Sophomore Brittany Solis followed with a bunt to put a pair of runners on. Sophomore Willow Kalinen bounced one back to third base, but reached safely to load the bases with two outs in the inning. Junior Samantha McCloskey was hit by a pitch, scoring Ujvari to tie the game at 1-1.
Neither team was able to plate a run in the seventh, sending the game to extra innings. Both UCF and Tulsa put runners on, but could not push any across in the second half of the game. The Knights had the best chance in the top of the 14th inning. After McCloskey opened the inning with a walk, Schroeder singled to first base. Both runners advanced on sophomore Linnea Goodman's sacrifice bunt, but the Hurricane turned a double play to record the out at home and keep it a 1-1 ball game.
The Black and Gold went to work in the top of the 16th inning. After McCloskey was hit by a pitch to open the inning, Schroeder moved her over with a sacrifice bunt. Goodman put a pair of runners on with a hard hit ball to the shortstop. A fielder's choice sent McCloskey back to the dugout, but kept the go-ahead run at second base.
Sullivan's second hit of the day was an RBI single to left field. She scored Goodman from second base and gave UCF a 2-1 lead. The Hurricane kept the game going in the bottom of the 16th after Julie Kernen doubled to right center, but Turnier ended the game with her 14th strikeout of the day.
UCF 2, Tulsa 0
The UCF bats stayed hot in the second game, as the Knights followed a scoreless first inning with a pair of two-run innings in the second and third.
Brittany Solis opened the second inning with a double down the right field line. Junior Kalyn Cenal scored Solis from second on a single up the middle. With two outs and a 1-1 count, Samantha McCloskey gave the Black and Gold a 2-0 advantage with a solo home run.
In the third inning, Kahley Novak put herself in scoring position by stealing second with two outs. Jessica Ujvari's RBI double to right center added to the UCF lead, making it a 3-0 game with two outs and a runner on second for the Knights. Solis made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single through the right side.
Tulsa cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning, as the Hurricane knocked a hit and used a pair of UCF errors to score two runs. After three complete innings, UCF held a 4-2 advantage over Tulsa.
UCF had an opportunity to extend its lead in the top of the sixth after a Tulsa fielding error put runners on the corners with two outs, but a groundout left the pair stranded. The Knights held a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the inning.
With two outs and a runner on, Tulsa drew its second walk of the inning to give the Hurricane base runners on first and second. After a wild pitch moved both of the runners, Jocelyn Sheffield singled up the middle to plate a run. A throwing error allowed a second run to score, tying the game at 4-4 with two outs and a runner on third base.
An RBI single to center field allowed the go-ahead run to score and Tulsa took a 5-4 lead over the Knights after six innings of play.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Ujvari kept the Knights alive with single up the middle. Solis followed with a single through the left side to put the tying run on second base, but a groundout ended the game before UCF could get the runner home.
UCF Softball, which is presented by City Kia of Greater Orlando, closes out the series with a single game on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.