ORLANDO – Home runs by third baseman Jada Cody and first baseman Shannon Doherty bookended the (RV) UCF Knights' series finale against the No. 22 Wichita State Shockers, but a shaky display in the circle proved too much to overcome, as the Knights fell, 10-5, at the UCF Softball Complex.
UCF's second straight defeat also marked a series loss to the Shockers in the first three-game set of conference play for the two squads.
"It's just young mistakes of letting one pitch affect the next," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "One of our goals is no back-to-back [runners on base], and we had [seven] back-to-backs in a row with two outs [in the second inning]. With that being said, it's very hard to defend things."
The top of the second frame was the inning that ultimately did the Knights (19-18, 1-2 AAC) in, as the Shockers (26-7, 2-1 AAC) sent 11 hitters to the plate, seven of whom would come around to score.
Wichita State built its attack around a patient approach at the plate throughout the afternoon, as the combination of starter Kaitlyn Felton, Grace Jewell, Sarah Willis and Angelina DeVoe combined to yield seven walks, four of which came in the second inning.
"We gave up [almost] as many freebies as we had hits," Ball-Malone continued. "That puts us in a really tough spot. The light at the end of the tunnel is we were still in that game in certain scenarios, even playing not our ball at all."
Cody gave a Knights offense coming off a Saturday shutout loss an immediate jolt in the home half of the first, swatting her team-leading fifth home run of the season out to left-center field to give her squad an early 1-0 lead.
The homer also marked the 30th of her career, placing Cody in the exclusive company of Stephanie Best (71) and Jania Shinhoster (33) as the third Knight in program history to hit 30 or more home runs in their respective careers.
The Murrieta, California, native collected the 138th RBI of her four-year career with the long ball as well, placing her only two RBI shy of tying Shinhoster for second-place on the UCF all-time RBI list.
"It's been tremendous," Ball-Malone said of Cody's performance and growth. "The amount of growth that she's had in all facets of her game has been amazing. What was really cool about Cody today is she led the entire time. She didn't let her team die down, she just kept going and I feel like I could put her anywhere on the field and she'd get the job done."
In the face of their 7-1 deficit following the top of the second, the Knights persisted at the plate, plating two more in the home half via a two-run Jasmine Williams single and a two-run homer by Doherty in the bottom of the seventh.
Doherty's two-run shot marked her second in her last four games, her fourth of the season and the 24th of her career, breaking a tie with Samantha McCloskey and Farrah Sullivan for sole possession of fourth place on the UCF all-time list.
UP NEXT
The Knights will utilize a pair of off days Monday and Tuesday to recover and reset for a Wednesday evening matchup against North Florida to close out the four-game homestand. First pitch from the UCF Softball Complex is slated for 6 p.m.