ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF softball team swept its Saturday double header with two shutout performances, beating James Madison 11-0 in five innings and topping DePaul 2-0.
"When you have dominant pitching like that, especially from a freshman and a sophomore, it sets up the day and the momentum," said head coach Cindy-Ball Malone. "We got the clutch hits when we needed them and we played great team defense too."
GAME ONE
The day started with the Knights facing James Madison, a meeting of two teams who were receiving votes in the latest editions of the NFCA and USA Softball polls.
The Black and Gold were first on the board as Micaela Macario worked a walk in the bottom of the second with the bases loaded, putting UCF up 1-0.
UCF exploded for six runs in the third inning, jumpstarted by Kennedy Searcy's first homer of the season, an opposite field shot to left. Shannon Doherty reached via a hit by pitch, her fifth of the season, putting her in the top 50 nationally for hit by pitches per game, averaging. The Knights scored the rest of their runs with two outs in the inning. Carson Frier singled before Allyse Volpe doubled, driving in Doherty. A Justene Molina walk put runners on the corners, setting the table for Macario, who earned another two RBI with a double to center. Johneisha Rowe joined in on two-out rally, driving in two more on a single down the left field line. The Black and Gold sent 10 hitters to the plate in the third and ended the inning with a 7-0 advantage.
The following inning saw UCF add four more runs to the scoreboard. Frier stepped up to the dish with the bases loaded and earned her first career RBI with a groundout to third. Katie Burge drew a walk to reload the bases, bringing Macario up. She earned her second double of the day, banging the first pitch of the at-bat off the left center field wall, driving in all three runs to put the Black and Gold in front 11-0.
Macario had a performance to remember, driving in six runs and collecting two doubles. She now leads the team in RBI with a total of 14. The last time a Knight drove in five or more runs in a game was early in 2021 when Jazmine Esparza collected five RBI in an 18-1 win over New Mexico State on Feb. 19.
Kaitlyn Felton was lights out from the circle, throwing a two-hit, complete game shutout, blanking an opponent for the first time in her career. The freshman struck out a career best five batters in the process while earning her second complete game of 2022. Felton leads the team in ERA, posting a 2.53 mark through 19.1 innings of work.
GAME TWO
Pitching was the dominant theme in UCF's matchup against DePaul as the game was scoreless through four and a half innings.
The Knights finally broke the streak of goose eggs on the scoreboard in their half of the fifth inning. Doherty lined out to right field with the bases loaded, driving in Macario on a sacrifice fly to put UCF up 1-0.
The Black and Gold added another run in the bottom of the sixth as Searcy drove in a run via a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Burge.
With a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the seventh, Grace Jewell set the Blue Demons down in order, securing her first complete-game shutout of her career. She struck out six while walking just one and surrendering four hits. The six punchouts are a career best in a single game for Jewell as she earned her first win of 2022 in style.
UP NEXT
The Knights will renew their rivalry with No. 4 Florida on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the UCF Softball Complex as part of the Knights Classic sponsored by Knight Pass. UCF swept their season series against the Gators in 2021, earning an 8-6 come from behind victory at home and coming away with a 7-0 win on the road.
TICKETS
Season and single game tickets are on sale now! Don't miss any of the action this year, click here to purchase season tickets now or click here for single game tickets! Stadium tickets for all Sunday, Feb. 27 games are sold out. Fans still have a chance to catch all the action from the outfield, where it is first come, first served free viewing. Tickets still remain for every other day of the tournament.
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