No. 22 Softball Set for Weekend Knights Classic Tournament

ORLANDO, Fla. – Following the No. 22 UCF Knights' back-to-back home and road games against the (RV) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and the Stetson Hatters Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the Knights will return to the UCF Softball Complex beginning Thursday afternoon to play host for the 2023 Knights Classic softball tournament Feb. 23-26.
 
UCF will welcome five programs to the Orlando area this weekend, including the Purdue Boilermakers, the (RV) Lousiville Cardinals, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, the Columbia Lions, and the Bradley Braves.
 
Of the five visiting schools, the Knights will match up with Gardner-Webb twice during a Thursday evening doubleheader before playing the last game of the day Friday, Saturday and Sunday against Louisville (7 p.m.), Purdue (7 p.m.) and Louisville once more (1 p.m.), respectively.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs enter the weekend tournament sporting a 3-7 overall record with losses in six of their previous seven games on the heels of a 2-1 start to the season. The team most recently split a Tuesday doubleheader with Furman, winning the day's first game 12-10 before dropping the nightcap by an 11-4 final score.
 
Junior infielder Araceli Pesqueira paces Gardner-Webb in a handful of offensive categories, including average (.349), walks (16), total hits (45) and doubles (12, T-1st), and ranks within the team's top three in others, including slugging percentage (.457, 2nd), RBI (14, 2nd), total bases (59, 2nd) and runs scored (13, 3rd).
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs have utilized a relatively balanced strategy for their pitching staff throughout their first 10 games, as only 10.1 innings separate freshman Alli Stidham's team-leading 21.2 IP from Clara Wyatt's 11.1, marking the fewest on the team. Strikeouts are not the staff's strength, though, as all four pitchers have combined for just 25 punchouts in their 69.2 innings of work.
 
Gardner-Webb is a familiar foe for the Knights, with UCF winning nine of its 10 games against the Runnin' Bulldogs in program history. The last meeting between the two schools was a two-game set that was scheduled during the Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Feb. 24-26, 2017. The Knights took both games, winning 5-0 and 9-1.
 
The 5-3 Boilermakers will travel to Orlando fresh off a 3-1 showing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and wins in four of their last six games overall. Purdue swept its two games against the Syracuse Orange by 12-8 and 7-0 final scores Feb. 17-18 before splitting a pair with NC State, taking the first game 4-0 before falling in the final game of the tournament, 4-3.
 
The Knights have squared off against the Boilermakers just four times in program history, still in search of their first win over Purdue. The two squads most recently met March 12, 2016, when the Boilermakers prevailed by a slim 3-2 final score during the UCF Spring Fling.
 
Junior outfielder Kiara Dillon represents the team's leading offensive threat, hitting .462/.611/.615 (6-for-13) with a 1.226 OPS and a pair of doubles. She is also a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts and has struck out only once in her eight starts. Complementing Dillon at the plate are sophomore utility player Tyrina Jones and fifth-year senior utility player Anna Lonchar, who enter the weekend hitting .407 and .357, respectively, as regulars in the Boilermaker batting order.
 
Sophomore right-hander Madi Elish has been relied upon most in the circle by Purdue head coach Boo De Oliveira, as she represents the team-leader in innings with 24.1 entering the weekend. The Crown Point, Indiana, native has posted a 2.59 ERA (9 ER) thus far, collecting 15 strikeouts against three walks while limiting opposing hitters to a .258 average.
 
Alex Echazarreta has thrown the second-most innings for Purdue with 15.0, and has allowed just a .204 opponent batting average with 16 punchouts. Limiting hard contact has been a struggle for the fifth-year senior, though, as she has allowed eight extra-base hits, including five doubles, one triple and two homers in her 15 innings of work.
 
The Cardinals will make the trip to Orlando with wins in six of their first nine games this season, coming off a 2-2 showing in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Feb. 17-19. Louisville dropped both contests it played against Illinois and won its two games against Wisconsin over the weekend.
 
UCF in its team history has a 2-4 record against the Cardinals, with the last meeting representing the Knights' 2018 season-opener Feb. 9, a 5-3 defeat during the Friends of Jaclyn Tournament in Longwood, Florida, Feb. 9-11.
 
Senior Daisy Hess, graduate student Taylor Roby and freshman Sarah Gordon are all tied for the team lead in average (.333) and have all started each of the Cardinals' nine games, with Roby leading the trio in OPS (1.137), total bases (17), on-base percentage (.429) and slugging percentage (.708).
 
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Zabala has been among the most consistent arms in the circle for Louisville to this point, posting a 1.35 ERA (4 ER) in her team-leading 20.2 innings of work. The Miami, Florida, native has also collected 21 strikeouts against just two walks, and has limited her opposition to a .194 average.
 
The Knights Classic
 
The No. 22 Knights will also host several neutral site matchups throughout the weekend to round out the festivities at the UCF Softball Complex. The full schedule for the Knights Classic is as follows.
 
February 23
3:00 p.m. – Gardner-Webb vs. No. 22 UCF
5:30 p.m. – Gardner-Webb vs. No. 22 UCF
 
February 24
9:00 a.m. – Bradley vs. Gardner-Webb
11:30 a.m. – Columbia vs. Gardner-Webb
2:00 p.m. – Columbia vs. Purdue
4:30 p.m. – Bradley vs. Purdue
7:00 p.m. – RV Louisville vs. No. 22 UCF
 
February 25
9:00 a.m. – Gardner-Webb vs. Columbia
11:30 a.m. – RV Louisville vs. Columbia
2:00 p.m. – RV Louisville vs. Bradley
4:30 p.m. – Purdue vs. Bradley
7:00 p.m. – Purdue vs. No. 22 UCF
 
February 26
9:00 a.m. – Bradley vs. Columbia
11:00 a.m. – RV Louisville vs. Purdue
1:00 p.m. – RV Louisville vs. No. 22 UCF