ORLANDO – The No. 24 UCF softball team won its 15th straight ballgame as they defeated Furman 9-0 in five innings to sweep the weekend series.
"I liked how we played a little cleaner today," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "I think all the way around, we took care of the ball, we got ahead of batters and then offensively scoring big again. It keeps the momentum in our hands."
The Knights once again got on the scoreboard first as Jada Cody continued to crush the ball, smacking a two-out triple to right field, setting up Shannon Doherty who singled to shallow left to score Cody. With Sunday's result, UCF improves to 13-2 when scoring in the first inning and 17-2 when scoring first in the ballgame.
Similar to game two of the series, the Knights posted another five spot in the second inning. Denali Schappacher got the ball rolling, knocking career hit No. 201 back up the middle for a base hit, before swiping second and advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Savannah Adams earned her ninth RBI of the season as she dumped one into the outfield to score Schappacher. A sacrifice bunt and a groundout advanced Adams to third for Johneisha Rowe, who beat out an infield single to make it 3-0. Kennedy Searcy climbed aboard on an infield single as well, putting two on for Cody. On a full count, Cody launched her ninth homer of the season well beyond the left field fence, adding three more RBI to her already outstanding season total. The three RBI puts her at 50 this season, which is now third most in a single season in UCF history. She is the fastest Knight to reach the half-century mark in a season.
Cody is just 17 RBI away from smashing the highest single-season mark in program history. Stephanie Best had previously owned the three highest marks but now holds just the two, driving in 66 runs in 2003 and 60 in 2005.
Cody is hitting .511 during UCF's 15-game winning streak with eight home runs and 34 RBI. Her OPS is a remarkable 1.823. Just this week alone, Cody is 7-for-11 with six of those being for extra bases, earning her a 1.545 slugging percentage and a 2.145 OPS. She collected 10 RBI over the team's four games.
The Knights didn't stop scoring after the second as they plated three more runs in the third inning. Ashleigh Griffin led the frame off with a walk, followed by a Schappacher single. The next two Knights flied out, bringing up Micaela Macario, who knocked one into right field and drove in a run. With a 7-0 lead, Searcy laced one into the right-center field gap, scoring a pair and bringing Searcy's RBI count to seven this weekend.
Kama Woodall got the start in the circle and was dominant throughout. She allowed just one hit, a single up the middle in the first, through her four innings of work while striking out two. She earned her ninth victory of the season and improves to 9-1 as a member of the Black and Gold. During the team's winning streak, Woodall has a miniscule 0.79 ERA with eight appearances and three starts. She has been a part of three complete games and has recorded two saves while holding batters to a .219 batting average.
Angelina DeVoe came in for the top of the fifth inning and worked as quick an inning as possible, retiring Furman on three pitches to seal the three-game sweep of the Paladins. UCF is now 7-1 against Furman all-time. Prior to the series, the Knights and Paladins had only met in neutral site contests.
The Knights have earned eight run-rule victories during their 15-game winning streak and have outscored opponents 132-31 over that span. As a team over that time, the Black and Gold are hitting .373 while holding opponents to a .226 batting average while the pitching staff boasts a 1.88 ERA.
UP NEXT
The Knights will open American Athletic Conference play as they pay a visit to their rivals on the other side of I-4 in the Bulls. The series at South Florida starts on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by contests on Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively.
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