ORLANDO – The No. 20 UCF softball team were topped by No. 5 Virginia Tech in both games of the Knights' double header on Sunday afternoon, first by a score of 1-0 and then 7-0.
"I think right now we're acting our age a little bit," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "We're a young team and the game is starting to test us. Now it's our job to figure out what our response to it will be and having our best character along with being at our best when our best is required."
GAME ONE
The Hokies caught a few breaks right off the bat as the first batter reached on an error, then stole a base and advanced an extra base on another error, putting the leadoff runner on third with nobody out. The run came into score on an infield single from Emma Ritter that glanced off pitcher Gianna Mancha's glove.
It was a pitcher's duel the rest of the way, with only two total hits coming in the game, both by Virginia Tech as the Knights were no-hit by Keely Rochard, the eighth of her career. The lone runner to reach was Justene Molina, who drew a walk in the bottom of the sixth. The Knights were no-hit earlier in the year, falling in five innings to then No. 5 Florida State. In total, UCF has only been no hit six times in their 21 seasons. It's the second time they've been no hit twice in a season, the other occurrence coming in 2014 when UCF finished 42-21 and reached the A-SUN tournament final.
Mancha was just as phenomenal in the circle for the Knights, retiring 10 batters in a row at one point as she tossed her eighth complete game this season. It was her 25th complete game as a member of the Black and Gold as she set down four Hokies on strikes while walking just one. Mancha has been brilliant over her last three starts, tossing three complete games while allowing just five hits while striking out 23. She has a 0.67 ERA over those 21 innings along with a miniscule .072 batting average against.
GAME TWO
The Knights stranded three Hokies on base in the first inning, the closest any team was to scoring in the first three frames. Virginia Tech broke through in the top of the fourth inning with a solo homer off the bat of Kelsey Bennett to straightaway center. Kama Woodall continued to work, stranding the bases loaded yet again keeping it to a 1-0 ballgame.
The Hokies scored a pair in the bottom of the fifth to push the game to 3-0. Bennett continued to swing a hot bat, smacking a double down the line to drive in Ritter. Bennett came around to score on a Bre Peck single up the middle to give Virginia Tech a trio of runs after the top of the fifth.
Another run came into score in the top of the sixth as Kelsey Brown singled up the middle, allowing an unearned run to come in after advancing on an error and a passed ball prior.
Peck made it 5-0 with a solo home run to right-center field in the top of the seventh. Two more came to score on a Darby Trull double to right-center field to make it 7-0.
UP NEXT
UCF will conclude its series with Virginia Tech on Monday at 6 p.m. at the UCF Softball Complex.
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