ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF softball team began their 2022 campaign in walk off style as Shannon Doherty hit a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth to upset No. 12 Georgia on Thursday night.
"It's a team win," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "We had the pitching to keep us in the game, we knew Georgia was going to get some big hits and we knew with our dynamic lineup we would stay in the game. Maybe they get one big hit here or there but our lineup one through nine really came out and competed. Super proud of the fight in our team."
Kama Woodall earned the victory after a stunning performance out of the bullpen, holding the nation's No. 12 team scoreless over the final 3.2 innings of work from the circle. Scoreless frames weren't a theme of the evening though as 12 runs were scored in total through the first four and a half innings.
The Knights earned the first run of the ballgame in the home half of the second. Denali Schappacher singled up the middle for the first hit of the season and went on to swipe second. Johneisha Rowe drew a walk following the single to put two on with nobody out. That made way for Katie Burge, who smashed one toward the second base hole but was gloved by the Bulldogs' Sydney Kuma who made a diving stop and threw Burge out. Schappacher was hustling hard from second on the play and came around to score as UCF was on top early.
Georgia answered in a hurry, drawing a leadoff walk to start the third. Leadoff hitter Sydney Chambley stepped in next and launched one out over the left field fence, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
The scoring continued in the UCF half of the third, which saw Georgia pitchers walk five Knights. Kennedy Searcy began the inning with her second walk of the night. Jada Cody got on via an infield single, which was followed by three straight walks, chasing Georgia starter Britton Rogers and sending two Knights in to score. Justene Molina earned an infield single of her own, knocking in another. One more walk sent another run home, giving the Black and Gold a 5-2 lead.
The Bulldogs answered with another two-run homer in the top of the fourth, this time off the bat of Jaiden Fields, trimming the Georgia deficit to just one.
The Knights pulled one back in the home half of the inning, as Schappacher reached on a bunt single. After reaching safely, the throw had gone errant, allowing Cody to come around and score all the way from first.
For the third straight inning, the Bulldogs would answer in the top half of the inning with a pair of runs. Lacey Fincher pounded an RBI single up the middle to pull Georgia within one before Sara Mosley followed with a double to drive in Fincher.
With the score tied 6-6, Kama Woodall relieved starter Gianna Mancha with one out in the top of the fifth and was lights out in the circle for the Knights the rest of the way. Woodall posted 3.2 innings out of the bullpen, surrendering just one walk and holding the Bulldogs hitless for the remainder of the night. It was Woodall's first appearance in the Black and Gold, but her 100th overall collegiate appearance after playing two seasons each for NC State and ECU. She went on to earn the win, the 25th of her career.
"Kama had seen Georgia quite a bit last year," said Ball-Malone. "She's worked really hard to broaden her game and its really showed. I'm excited to see where her, Gianna and the rest of the pitching staff take us.
It was Doherty who sent the Knights home happy in extra innings. With one out in the bottom of the eighth and a 1-0 count, Doherty launched a missile out of The Plex, a ball that disappeared into the night sky. She had started the contest by going 0-for-4, but got a hold of one when it mattered most.
D??HERTY WALKS IT OFF ? #CHARGEON pic.twitter.com/EOySD9rFxz
— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) February 11, 2022
"Her first couple of at bats weren't Doherty type at bats," said Ball-Malone. "I loved how she just kept swinging and kept going for it and wasn't hesitant. Her mind stayed settled, she was playing solid defense and kept leading her team."
1,093 fans came out to witness an incredible opening night, the second highest attended game during the Ball-Malone era and highest for an opening night matchup. The crowd was just 69 spectators shy of becoming the highest attended game since 2019 and 144 shy of breaking the all-time attendance record of 1,236 which was set on Apr. 4, 2018 in a 1-0 victory over No. 4 Florida.
The Knights earn their first win in three tries against Georgia, with the last meeting being a close 2-0 decision back in 2017. Head coach Ball-Malone is just three wins shy of reaching 100 at UCF and four of reaching 200 in her career. The Black and Gold finished the evening with 10 total walks drawn, two shy of tying the team record in a single game.
UP NEXT
UCF is right back in action on Friday night as they host Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. The Golden Gophers, like the Knights, began the season receiving votes in the NFCA Preseason Top 25.
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