ORLANDO – The UCF Softball team continued its historic start to the 2020 season on Sunday as the offense exploded for a 10-0 victory over the FAU Owls, moving the Knights to 9-2 to start the season.
"I think we got our momentum from our first game on Friday and it rolled right on in to today," said UCF Softball Head Coach Cindy-Ball Malone. "We started feeling our bats more, played good defense and pitched, so it is a complete game right now."
As has been the story for much of the season early on, the offense was firing on all cylinders in Sunday's win. The Knights posted 10 runs on 10 hits, including two home runs to win by run rule. The victory marked the fifth win by run rule this season for UCF, already tying them for the amount of wins by run rule over the last two seasons combined (two in 2019 and three in 2018).
While the offense seemed to steal the show, Alea White was lights out all afternoon. The senior tossed five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven to earn the win, moving her to 4-1 on the year. The win marked White's 71st of her career, moving her to third all-time at UCF, tying Allison Kime.
KEY MOMENTS
- With runners on second and third, Kyra Klarkowski singled through the right side to bring in both to give the Knights the early 2-0 lead.
- In the bottom of the third, Shannon Doherty hit a base hit to right field to score two more Knights' runs.
- Denali Schappacher followed that up with another base hit, sending two runners home and extending the UCF lead to 6-0.
- Justene Molina singled to bring in another Knights run in the third.
- Later in the same inning, in her first career-at bat, Molly Rainey hit a deep home run to straight away center field to extend the UCF lead to 9-0.
- In the bottom of the fourth, Georgia Blair hit a solo home run, her third of the week, to increase the UCF lead to 10-0. With a clean bottom of the fifth, UCF would go on to win by that margin.
NOTABLES
- In her first career at bat in the fifth, Molly Rainey homered to center field for her first career home run.
- With the win, the Knights finished off a perfect weekend at The Plex, with a tournament record of 4-0.
- Alea White recorded her 71st career win to tie Allison Kime for third most all-time.
- Fifth run-rule win of season, tying the amount of wins by run rule over the last two seasons combined (two in 2019, three in 2018).
UP NEXT
UCF will bus to Tampa, Fla. next weekend to play in the USF Tournament. They will play two games against No. 12 ranked Tennessee before playing two against FIU.
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