GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior transfer right-hander Sarah Willis etched another chapter in her string of encouraging appearances in the circle, but the (RV) UCF softball team was unable to snap its recent skid in the finale of its six-game road trip, falling 3-0 in its Wednesday matchup against the No. 8 Florida Gators at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Willis, whose standout performance in a pair of appearances in California during the Judi Garman Classic last weekend garnered a selection to the American Athletic Conference's weekly Honor Roll on Monday, received the nod from head coach Cindy Ball-Malone for Wednesday evening's start against the eighth-ranked Gators (15-3, 0-0 SEC).
The Ontario, California, native was up to the challenge that was presented with quieting a Florida offense that entered the evening ranking within the top five in the nation in on-base percentage, runs per game, slugging percentage and batting average.
She tightroped her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning, working her way around a pair of walks by inducing two groundouts to end the inning and get the Knights (10-13, 0-0 AAC) back to their dugout unscathed.
Willis then ran with her early momentum following the initial frame, authoring a spotless second inning and then a scoreless third before again setting the Gators down in order in the fourth.
With Willis' strikeout of Florida right fielder Kaila Pollard to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, marking her fifth punchout of the evening, she had retired 11 of the last 12 hitters she faced.
A one-out walk drawn by catcher Sarah Longley represented the spark Florida needed to finally solve Willis, though, and a run-scoring triple and single later in the frame chased Willis from the contest with the Gators holding a 2-0 lead.
Left-handed reliever Angelina DeVoe and right-hander Kaitlyn Felton took over for Willis, combining for 1.1 innings with just a single run allowed on one hit with two strikeouts out of the bullpen, but offensive struggles dashed UCF's hopes for a late comeback bid.
A unit that mustered just four hits entering the final frame, UCF's best chance to break through materialized in the top of the seventh inning. Freshman utility infielder Aubrey Evans led off with a single, followed by a perfectly-placed bunt single by outfielder Johneisha Rowe with one out.
The big hit never came for the Knights, though, as UCF was handed its fifth straight loss and its sixth in its last seven games. After averaging 6.6 runs per game during the Knights Classic tournament Feb. 23-26, UCF has produced just 1.7 runs per game in its last six games dating back to the opener of its play during the Judi Garman Classic.
Willis' outing, meanwhile, added on to perhaps the best stretch of the season for the first-year Knight. Following a start that saw her yield five runs in 2.2 innings to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Feb. 21, the junior has produced a team-leading 0.75 ERA (18.2 IP, 2 ER), allowing just 11 hits and eight walks while collecting 24 strikeouts and limiting her opposition to a .157 average in six appearances (two starts).
UP NEXT
The Knights will regroup during a Thursday off day and begin preparations for the UCF Round Robin tournament this weekend that will begin with a Friday evening matchup against the Toledo Rockets. First pitch from the UCF Softball Complex is slated for 5:30 p.m.