UCF Edged by Minnesota 3-1UCF Edged by Minnesota 3-1

UCF Edged by Minnesota 3-1

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ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF softball team was unable to mount a comeback against Minnesota on Friday night, falling by a final of 3-1.

"Their ace did great, and I think we equally didn't match that with the plan we had," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "I thought we had a great plan. But again, its early and we have a few youngsters in there. I'm excited that we didn't stick to our plan and that we were still in the game. That shows a great team."

UCF starter Grace Jewell was lifted from the ball game with one out in the top of the fourth after surrendering a pair of walks in three batters. Kama Woodall was called upon to enter the circle with two on and one out. She came in and sat down the first Minnesota batter she faced on three pitches but allowed a double to the next hitter, giving the Golden Gophers the first run of the game.

Minnesota added another the following inning, as a Sara Kinch doubled to center field, driving in Makenna Dowell to give the Golden Gophers a 2-0 lead.

The Knights pulled back a run in their half of the fifth as Maddie Bejarano got a hold of a 3-1 pitch and sent it over the left field wall for the first home run of her career. She sprinted around the bases and was mobbed by her team at home plate as she had cut the UCF deficit in half.

The Golden Gophers extended their lead back to two as Natalie DenHartog homered in the top of the seventh, putting them in front 3-1.

After six innings from Minnesota ace Autumn Pease, the Golden Gophers turned to Emily Leavitt for the save situation. Denali Schappacher drew a four pitch walk to begin the inning, giving the Knights a shot late. Through two games, Schappacher is tied for the team lead in on base percentage with a .714 clip and is the team leader in batting average, going 3-for-5 at the dish. Despite the leadoff runner climbing aboard, Leavitt was able to retire the next three batters in order, handing UCF its first loss of 2022.

UP NEXT
The Knights will have a chance to bounce back tomorrow with a pair of games. They start Saturday with a matchup against Fresno State at 2 p.m. followed by a meeting with Longwood at 7 p.m.

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