OXFORD, Miss. – No. 25 UCF couldn't get it going in the series opener against Ole Miss Friday night, falling 8-2 to the Rebels at the Ole Miss Softball Complex in Oxford, Mississippi.
With the loss, the Knights move to 34-13-1 on the season.
Knights' starter Breanna Vasquez (4-3) lasted just three batters, allowing a walk and two-base hits to fall behind 1-0 before being pulled for Gianna Mancha. Mancha would allow two inherited baserunners to score, putting UCF in a 3-0 hole early, one they would not be able to climb out of as the Rebels went on to outscore the Knights 5-2 over the rest of the night.
In total, the Knights utilized three pitchers in the loss as Mancha went on to toss 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out four. She was relieved out of the bullpen by freshman Grace Jewell, who tossed two innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks while notching a strikeout.
On the other side of the ball, the Rebels used three pitchers as well. The trio combined to allow two UCF runs (one earned) on just six hits.
The majority of the Knights' production came from the bottom of the order as eight-hole hitter Kyra Klarkowski and nine-hole batter Jazmine Esparza were both 2-for-3 with a run scored each.
The Knights will have their chance to rebound against Ole Miss on Saturday as the two sides square off in a doubleheader with games at 2:00 p.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. ET.
Key Moments
- The first two Ole Miss batters of the game reached base and an RBI single would put the Rebels up 1-0 in the top of the first.
- A bunt single later in the first would drive in a run and extend Ole Miss's lead to 2-0.
- With the bases loaded still in the first, UCF pitcher Gianna Mancha hit a batter to allow another run to score, giving Ole Miss the early 3-0 lead.
- A solo home run would extend the Rebels' lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second.
- Another solo shot in the third would put Ole Miss up 5-0.
- The Rebels would score two more in the fifth following a sacrifice-fly for an RBI and a UCF error, putting them up 7-0.
- The Knights took advantage of an Ole Miss wild pitch and error in the top of the fifth to scratch across two runs, cutting their deficit to 7-2.
- An RBI single in the bottom of the fifth would extend Ole Miss's lead to 8-2.
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