Ready for Battle

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) –  The UCF Knights softball team refuels the War on I-4 rivalry this weekend as they head to Tampa for a three-game set with USF.

The American Athletic Conference action starts on Friday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday night showdown at 6:30 p.m., and a Sunday afternoon contest slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch.

All three games will feature live stats and a live audio stream, while Saturday and Sunday's games will be streamed via Facebook Live. All links can be found on the softball schedule page.

The Knights are 30-19 overall this season, already surpassing last year's wins. UCF sits at 8-7 in The American, just two wins out of first place.

In conference play, the Knights boast six players hitting above the .290 mark. Denali Schappacher charges the Knights forward as the freshman holds a .358 batting averaging when facing conference opponents. Cassady Brewer continues to dominate her at-bats as she extended her on-base streak to 16 games after drawing three walks and collecting three hits at Wichita State.

Alea White remains in the top spot in the conference in wins (22), innings pitched (224.0), games started (33), and total appearances (42).

THE FIELD
USF: Overall, the Bulls are 32-18 in this year's campaign and sit atop The American with a 10-5 conference record. In the series with the Knights, the Bulls are 13-11 with the history dating back to 2003.

Since joining The American in 2014, the Knights have not dropped a series to the Bulls. The Knights have won two of the three games in each series the last four years, including last season when UCF took the rubber match over USF in a dramatic 5-4 victory in the ninth inning to secure the series win.

THE WAR ON 1-4
UCF's and USF's fan bases have long engaged in a passionate rivalry between the universities divided by 100 miles and the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.  The Green and Gold and the Black and Gold will now compete for year-long bragging rights in one of the freshest and most energized rivalries in college athletics.

UCF clinched its second straight War On I-4 series this month when the UCF women's golf team finished above USF at the American Athletic Conference Championship. Heading into this weekend, UCF leads USF 44-31 with 9 points up for grabs the rest of the year.

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