May 8, 2016
Final Stats
UCF vs. East Carolina - Senior Day (5/8/16) - Images by UCF Knights
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Strong play from the seniors lifted No. 25 UCF Softball to a 5-0 win over East Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights close the regular season with a 35-19 overall record, and a 12-4 mark in American Athletic Conference action.
It's tough on Senior Day, but (the team) did a great job of holding it together. They came out and established themselves on the field, head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. They definitely enjoyed the moment today. To see (all of the seniors) get in this game and get an opportunity to be a part of this win and a part of this last game on our field, it's an incredible experience.
Senior Jessica Ujvari gave the Knights an early 2-0 lead with her eighth home run of the season, and UCF tacked on runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Ujvari went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Senior Samantha McCloskey, junior Linnea Goodman and sophomore Courtney Rotton each drove in a run.
Senior Shelby Turnier allowed just one hit in five innings of work to earn the win for the Knights.
Tremendous Turnier
* Shelby Turnier continues to etch her name in the UCF Softball record books.
* The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native earned the win in the circle, pushing her career total to 78 victories. She tied former teammate Mackenzie Audas for the UCF Softball career record.
* With her second strikeout of the day, Turnier became the third Knight in program history to reach 800 career punchouts. Fanning six batters over five innings, she pushed her career total to 804.
Turnier on tying Audas' victories record: I told (Mackenzie) that I wanted it to be (us tied) at the top, but if I did that, it means we don't win any more games for the rest of the season. That's not possible. It's awesome; we've always been 1-2. To have this means a lot to me.
Senior Knight Special
* Every member of the senior class saw action in Sunday's contest.
* Turnier, Jessica Ujvari, Samantha McCloskey, Kalyn Cenal and Jasmine Acevedo all started the game. Taylor Wagner stepped in as a pinch hitter and drew a walk. Kirsten Foster entered as a pinch runner. Mackenzie Huhn tossed the sixth inning, and Jamie Ujvari closed in the seventh inning.
* Over their four years as Knights, the Class of 2016 has compiled a 160-71 record and has not lost a series since joining The American in 2014.
Next up
The Knights move into postseason action, traveling to Tulsa for the American Athletic Conference Championship. UCF is locked in as the No. 2 seed, and will find out official game times and opponents once all of the games have concluded on Sunday.
Story by Megan Herboth; Video by Chip Fontanazza