ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Sophomore Kyra Klarkowski delivered her first home run as a Knight, and the only run of the game in the American Athletic Conference opener against Tulsa giving the Knights the win over the Golden Hurricane.
In the circle, Alea White pitched her 14th complete game and fifth shutout of the season, giving up only four hits and striking out a pair.
With the win, the Knights improve to 19-12 and 1-0 in conference play, while Tulsa drops to 19-12 and 0-1 in the conference.
Starting off the game with back-to-back hits, the Golden Hurricane threatened early but the Knights pushed back with an explosive defense to keep the game scoreless.Tulsa collected with another hit in the second but White and the defense wouldn't allow another Tulsa hit until the seventh. It wouldn't be enough for Tulsa as the Knights' defense shut them down.
Dominating the infield, senior Courtney Rotten and freshman Kaitlyn Jensen contributed some key defensive plays to ensure the Knights victory. Rotton made her presence known at third base, making a pair of key plays to prevent the Golden Hurricane from scoring in the fifth inning.
Cassady Brewer was solid behind the plate and caught Haley Meinen stealing, who was previously 6-for-6 in the year for stolen base attempts.
After a scoreless five innings, Klarkowski stepped up to the plate and smashed her collegiate career home run to give the Knights the 1-0 lead and the eventual win.
ON DECK
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. Saturday will also feature a tribute to the 15-year anniversary of Stephanie Best's NCAA record setting game as she throws out the first pitch and fans can grab autographs from the UCF softball team after the game.
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