GREENVILLE, N.C. – The No. 17 UCF softball team defeated South Florida by a score of 11-0 in five innings on Saturday morning to secure the American Athletic Conference Championship.
"It's everything," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone on winning the tournament title. "With this group, as a coach I like to be in the moment but my job is to have a forward vision. This group has said it from day one; they want to win the regular season, they want to win the conference tournament and host regionals. Seeing how they're so adamant about what they want to do and how they want to do it shows that they've bought in 100 percent. Super proud of them, major team win, lot of different contributors today and we are who we are because we are diverse and dynamic."
The Knights came out swinging from the start. Allyse Volpe started things off with a single through the middle but was out on a fielder's choice on a Kennedy Searcy knock. Jada Cody kept the line moving, getting a single of her own through the left side to put runners at first and second. Shannon Doherty sent everyone home with one swing of the bat, launching a three-run shot to center to put UCF up 3-0. Denali Schappacher climbed aboard via a free pass before stealing second and eventually scored as Johneisha Rowe smacked a single to make it 4-0.
After cruising through the first inning, UCF starter Kama Woodall ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the second. After getting the leadoff batter to ground out, the next three Bulls reached with two singles and an error. After a brief mound visit, Woodall was back to her dominant self, getting the next batter to foul out and the following to ground out to end the side.
"For her and a few of those infielders, they haven't been here before," said Ball-Malone. "I think that everyone got a little quiet once they were up and they started to realize where they were. It's just learning and being in the moment and being present. I know when Kama stays her true competitive self, we go. Love how she bounced back and momentum kept going after that."
UCF added three-more runs in the second thanks to the new single-season leader in RBI at UCF in Cody. Justene Molina worked a walk followed by Maddie Bejarano climbing aboard with an error. Cody launched herself into the record books on an 0-1 count, absolutely obliterating the pitch to left, bringing her to the new highest single season mark of 69 RBI in a season. She passed Stephanie Best who had 66 RBI back in 2003; Best also had the next two highest RBI marks in a single season prior to Cody climbing her way up the leaderboard all season.
"Super proud of Jada," said Ball-Malone. "Obviously as a team, our focus is more than just one individual's performance, but the moment we recruited Jada and got her on campus we knew she was going to do big things. It's awesome for her to accomplish those goals and I'm glad that she was able to set a new record."
After a scoreless third, the Knights were right back at it in the fourth. Bejarano singled to lead off the inning, followed by a Searcy walk. With one out, Doherty drew a walk as well to load the bases. Griffin got ahold of a 1-1 pitch, landing a line drive just in front of the centerfielder to score a run to make it an 8-0 lead. Carson Frier earned a pinch hit off the bench with two outs and reached on a fielding error by the second baseman, pushing a run across to make it 9-0. Molina kept the line moving, singling hard through the left side to score two more, swelling the Knight advantage to 11-0.
Woodall finished the final frame by retiring the Bulls in order, securing the title for the Knights at the place where she spent the last two years pitching for ECU. She finished the morning with four strikeouts, walking nobody and allowing just three hits in the complete-game shutout. Woodall improves to 17-4 with the win and earns her fifth complete game of the season along with her first solo shutout.
Cody was named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after going four-for-six in UCF's two contests this weekend. She smashed a homer and double while collecting five RBI.
Cody, Doherty, Volpe, Woodall, Savannah Adams and Gianna Mancha were named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances in helping UCF earn the crown. Mancha and Volpe were named to last year's All-Tournament team, joining legends Mackenzie Audas, Samantha McCloskey, and Shelby Turnier as the only Knights to be named to The American's squad more than once.
The Knights earned their biggest win over South Florida in program history and took a 20-19 lead in the all-time series. UCF's 11 runs set a tournament record for The American's championship final, while it marked the first time that the championship game ended with the eight-run rule.
The tournament title is the fourth in conference history, joining the 2005 Atlantic Sun, 2008 Conference-USA and 2015 tournament titles. The Knights have earned a total of three regular season titles, all coming in the American (2014, 2015 and 2022).
"Proud of Team XXI and love the support from Knight Nation," said Ball-Malone. "Our staff, support staff, everyone that's here; we have a good group and I pinch myself often because you can have a goal and a vision but it takes everyone to buy in. From a student manager to all 22 players on the team, they're fully bonding here and its great to have."
UP NEXT
The Knights' tournament championship secured their automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. They'll find out their regional matchups on Sunday night at 7 p.m. as the NCAA hosts their selection show on ESPN2.
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