STILLWATER, Okla. – Grace Jewell came within two outs of completing her first career no-hitter in front of her home crowd three days ago.
In the (RV) UCF softball team's OSU Mizuno Classic opener Friday afternoon, Jewell finished the job in her very next appearance with the help of a standout offensive performance, as she spun the first no-hitter of her career in six innings against the No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils at Cowgirl Stadium by an 8-0 run-rule final score. UCF later dropped the nightcap of its tournament-opening twin-bill against the No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls 4-0.
"I'm pretty excited. Very proud of my defense and my offense for having my back," Jewell said.
The junior right-hander didn't realize exactly what she had been doing until what would prove to be the game's final inning, when UCF graduate assistant Shannon Saile approached her.
"The end of the sixth inning, when there were no outs and Chloe [Evans] was on third," Jewell said of when she first realized the possibility of her no-hitter becoming a reality. "I was riding the bike and Shannon came up to me and said 'You're about to throw a no-hitter.' I was like, 'What? No I'm not.' Then I looked at the scoreboard and I noticed."
Indeed, with a zero still in the Sun Devils' hit column and the Knights already ahead 4-0, UCF tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, capped off by freshman infielder Shelli DiPuma's first career hit and RBI, to clinch Jewell's no-hitter an inning early.
Jewell faced the minimum in the top of the first despite hitting Arizona State leadoff hitter Yanni Acuña. Knights catcher Carson Frier threw Acuña out at second base trying to steal to complete a double play with Jewell's strikeout of Alexa Milius, and Jewell induced a Jazmyn Rollin popout to end the first frame.
The Chesapeake, Virginia, native threw a perfect top of the second inning before her offense was ignited by a Jasmine Williams two-run single in the home half.
Staked to a 2-0 lead, Jewell never looked back. She collected her third punchout in the third inning, working around a Williams fielding error with a scoreless inning before a Kennedy Searcy RBI single and a Shannon Doherty run-scoring fielder's choice doubled the Knights' advantage.
In providing UCF's fourth run, Doherty also moved into a tie for eighth place on the UCF all-time RBI list with the 106th of her career, pulling even with Cassady Brewer.
A flyout and an unassisted double play authored by Doherty saw Jewell safely through the fourth inning, and a pair of groundouts and a pop out to Doherty in foul territory in the fifth aided the right-hander in tiptoeing around a pair of walks.
"It was exciting. She walked two people in the [fifth] inning, I was going to go out and talk to her, but then I thought, 'She's got this,'" said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "Just watching how she got herself back together and worked with Carson and utilized her defense was huge for her. She's growing and developing with every outing that she has."
Frier caught Acuña attempting a stolen base once more in the top of the sixth inning after Jewell recorded her fourth strikeout, and the Knights offense once again came alive in the home half.
Jada Cody singled Williams home before Searcy doubled in two more, and DiPuma was then given a pinch-hit nod by Ball-Malone with the bases loaded.
"I knew that the team had worked really hard up to that point, and I was so excited to be in the position that I was put into," DiPuma said. "All I was thinking about was getting Chloe 60 feet to home plate, so whatever that took, anything to the right side."
The freshman accomplished just that, lining a 2-2 pitch down the right field line to plate the game-ending run and seal Jewell's career effort while also collecting the first hit and RBI of her collegiate career in the process.
"It was a super special moment, she's been my leader and guidance through my freshman year. It was awesome that we got a really big team win there, and I was so excited to be a part of it," DiPuma added.
The outing marked Jewell's third complete game shutout in her last four appearances, with the fourth marking a scoreless three-inning save against Kennesaw State March 11. In that span, Jewell has yielded only seven hits in 23 spotless innings while striking out 13.
The right-hander threw the Knights' first solo no-hitter since Gianna Mancha's effort almost a year ago to the day, on March 20, 2022 against Furman, and Jewell's effort also marked the Knights' first no-hitter against a top-25-ranked program.
"Just building the confidence. UCLA was a turning point for me, and I realized I can do it," Jewell continued. "My stuff is working and I just have to keep attacking hitters and trust my defense, because is amazing behind me. I know that they have my back."
Sophomore right-hander Kaitlyn Felton turned in a strong start against the Cowgirls in the nightcap, striking out five while yielding four runs to now-second-ranked Oklahoma State. Her six-inning start marked her longest appearance since her seven-inning effort against the Michigan Wolverines in Fullerton, California, March 2.
Felton also struck out five or more hitters for the first time since her March 3 appearance against LMU, when she collected eight punchouts for the second consecutive outing.
The Knights' offense was unable to gain the same traction against Cowgirls starter Kyra Aycock, though, mustering only two hits in UCF's 4-0 defeat.
UP NEXT
The Knights will continue play in the OSU Mizuno Classic Saturday evening, matching up with the Sun Devils once more with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. ET. UCF will conclude play in the tournament with a second game against the Cowgirls Sunday evening at 1 p.m. ET.
