ORLANDO – For the first time in program history, the No. 16 UCF softball team will head to the regional final with an unblemished run 2-0 record in their regional run as the Knights walked-off No. 24 Michigan in 11 innings. Maddie Bejarano was down to her final strike at the plate in the bottom of the seventh before smacking an RBI double; she did it again in the eleventh, ripping one down the right field line to give UCF the 3-2 win.
"I thought Kama threw a heck of a game the entire game," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "Michigan is tough and for her to stay – I don't even know how many innings we played – 11. I don't think they got another hit after a certain inning. I just love how we kept putting pressure on their pitchers. Their pitchers are amazing. They throw three different speeds; they move it up and down; they throw to four quadrants. Just the resilience of this team and these ladies up here – I couldn't be more proud."
Michigan scored early in the contest, capitalizing off a pair of one-out walks. With two down in the inning, Annabelle Widra poked one just through the left side, allowing a run to come across. The inning ended there as the Wolverines left a pair stranded but took the 1-0 lead.
Michigan added a run in the top of the fifth, taking a 2-0 lead on an error with two outs in the inning.
The Knights found life in the bottom of the sixth inning as Ashleigh Griffin ripped a double down the left field line, trickling into the corner to allow Shannon Doherty to score all the way from first. It was the freshman's 10th two-bagger of the season as she cut the UCF deficit to 2-1.
The ballgame came down to the final out and strike for UCF in their half of the seventh. Johneisha Rowe climbed aboard with an infield single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and ground out. On a 2-2 count, Bejarano took the pitch to right center for her fourth double of the year, tying the game at 2-2.
For the seventh time this season, UCF headed to extra innings. Kama Woodall, who started the contest for the Knights, continued from the circle in extras and got stronger as she went. She allowed just one hit and one walk in four innings of extra work and retired the final eight batters she faced.
Justene Molina drew a one out walk in the bottom of the eleventh to get the Knights going. Micaela Macario was up next and slapped one into the ground to short. The Wolverine shortstop flipped it to their second baseman, who dropped the ball, allowing the Knights to have two on with one down. Bejarano stepped back into the dish and took a 2-1 pitch down the right field line, past the first baseman to secure the victory.
It was UCF's sixth walk-off of the season and the second game of the year that went to 11 innings. The Knights' other 11-inning victory was at home against No. 5 Virginia Tech, a 5-4 thriller that saw UCF come from down 4-3 to win. The Knights were down 2-0 heading into their half of the sixth in Saturday's game and mounted their fifth comeback victory of 2022.
Woodall's final line was outstanding as she tied a career high in innings pitched and earned a new career-high in strikeouts. Her 10 punchouts were two more than her previous season and career highs; she tossed eight strikeouts twice this season and three overall occurrences. The 11 innings pitched tied a career-high, which oddly enough was set in a game against UCF last season in a 4-3 win over ECU. Woodall tossed a total of 181 pitches on the afternoon, 122 of them for strikes.
The Knights haven't lost in extra innings this season, posting a perfect 7-0 record and outscoring opponents 15-1 in the extra frames.
In nine NCAA Tournament appearances, this is the fifth time that the Knights have punched a ticket to the regional final. However, this is the first time that the Knights have gone through the winners bracket to get there, going 2-0 through the regional.
RECORD SETTING
UCF tallied three doubles in the game, tying their program high in an NCAA Tournament, matching the team's previous high set in 2014 against Stetson. Bejarano matched Stephanie Best's single-game NCAA Tournament record of two double sin a game, set all the way back on May 21, 2005. The 11 innings of work by Woodall is a record for the Knights in an NCAA Tournament game.
UP NEXT
The Knights await the results of the rest of the bracket to unfold. Currently, the two remaining games are awaiting final results. If all games are able to be played, UCF will be back in action at 2 p.m. on Sunday needing just one win to advance to super regionals for the first time in program history.
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