ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF concludes a 19-game homestand on Wednesday with StrikeOut Cancer Knight against North Florida. The contest also serves as Dollar Dog Knight with the first pitch from the UCF Softball Complex set for 5 p.m.
The Knights are set to wear pink jerseys, which will be available for purchase through a silent auction, starting when gates open at 4 p.m. till the bottom of the fifth inning. All proceeds will be benefiting the Florida Hospital Breast Cancer Fund.
A special ceremonial first pitch will be tossed by Shelby Turnier, the first All-American in program history. She is currently an assistant coach at UNF and captured the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) title with the Chicago Bandits over the summer. Turnier holds the UCF record for wins (80) and finished her career third all-time in strikeouts (830).
UCF
The Knights (16-15) are coming off a tough start to conference play, dropping a series to Houston. The Knights won Friday and held leads entering the seventh inning on Saturday and Sunday, but fell to late Houston rallies.
In the last series, senior Linnea Goodman moved into a tie for fifth with 216 hits, alongside Tiffany Lane (2008-11). The Long Beach, Calif., native is one base knock away from tying volunteer assistant Kahley Novak (2012-15) at 217.
UCF is paced by sophomore Cassady Brewer with a .368 batting average and 18 RBI. A team-best seven doubles and two homers have been blasted by junior Courtney Rotton. Senior Willow Kalinen has registered a team-best three triples.
The Knights have swiped 56 bags this season and are paced by junior Megan Greenwell, who is 18-for-19 in stolen base attempts.
Freshman Alea White is 9-10 on the season with a 3.86 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 112.1 innings of work. A 4-2 mark has been posted by freshman Kamryn Toney, who has fanned 27 hitters in 51.2 innings
North Florida
The Ospreys carry a 19-13 overall mark into the midweek matchup with notable victories against FAU, Kansas, Rutgers, Georgia Tech and Troy. UNF opens play in the Atlantic Sun on Saturday vs. Florida Gulf Coast.
Navia Penrod and Dominca Cocuzza pace the North Florida offense with .471 and .406 batting averages, respectively. The primary run producers are Cocuzza with 31 RI and Kayla McGory with 29 RBI. The Ospreys hold a .322 team batting average.
In the circle, Logan Green (8-8) and Morgan Blourne (7-3) have tossed a majority of the innings. Green has tallied 71 strikeouts over 118.2 innings, while Blourne has fanned 53 hitters in 71.0 frames of work.
Series History
UCF has a 10-5 all-time record against North Florida, dating back to 2007. The Knights have won three of the past four meetings. A 4-4 mark has been registered by UCF at home, while it is a perfect 5-0 in contests played in Jacksonville.
Next Up
The Knights begin a seven-game road trip on Friday with a three-game set at East Carolina. First pitch of the series opener in Greenville, N.C., is set for 6 p.m.
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