TAMPA, Fla. – Once again, it came down to Chloe Evans and Sarah Willis.
The two junior transfers, who have time and time again come through in key moments for the (RV) UCF softball team throughout the 2023 campaign, shone brightly once more on the Knights' biggest stage yet.
A first-inning two-run homer by Evans proved all UCF needed in anther masterpiece in the circle authored by Willis, as UCF took down its rival South Florida Bulls, 2-0, Friday afternoon to punch its ticket to the American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game Saturday morning.
"I think that we had a lot of good preparation, we had never seen her previously in our series against them," Evans said of Bulls starter Payton Dixon. "So I think that us going in prepared and buying into our plan was the best way to get that done. Our pregame work really helped into me getting that home run, just feeling the good things that I felt in that, and just keeping that going."
Moments after watching the fourth-seeded Tulsa Golden Hurricane pull off a 2-1 eight-inning upset win over the top-seeded Wichita State Shockers in the afternoon's earlier semifinal contest, the Knights faced off against Dixon and the Bulls, a starter who did not pitch during the two teams' series in Orlando last month.
Willis, just a day removed from throwing five innings of one-run ball to lead UCF to a come-from-behind 7-4 win over No. 7 Memphis Friday afternoon, spun a spotless first inning to get her team quickly off the field and to the plate.
After their slow offensive start Friday, the Knights wasted no time in their Saturday semifinal contest. A two-out infield single by freshman designated player Aubrey Evans kept the inning alive for Evans in the cleanup spot, who did her cleanup duties to perfection with pinch-runner Katie Burge replacing Aubrey at first.
Chloe clubbed an 0-1 offering from Dixon over the left field fence, close to the same destination as Jasmine Williams' timely go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning Friday, to give UCF a 2-0 first-inning lead.
The early blast represented her sixth home run of the season, as well as RBI number 44 and 45, vaulting the right fielder past Jazmine Esparza and into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time UCF single-season RBI list.
It also extended her program-record hit streak to 17 straight games, a mark she set Friday with her 16th straight game with a hit. Since the streak started during the Knights' series finale at ECU April 2, Chloe is hitting a team-best .429/.476/.750 (24-for-56) with a 1.226 OPS, 11 extra-base hits (six doubles, three triples and two home runs), 19 RBI, 42 total bases and four stolen bases in four tries.
She also tied Natalie Land for eighth place on the all-time UCF single-season total bases list with 107 and is one of four players in The American who can stake their claim to 100 or more total bases this season.
"I think it's just really important that I'm getting hits for the team," Chloe added. "Getting on base, getting hits for the pitchers is always my mindset going up to bat. It doesn't really matter whether it ends up being a hit, an error. It's about moving runners, getting on base, scoring runs, doing whatever I can to be my best at the plate and help out the pitchers."
Bolstered by the early run support, Willis did her part to ensure the early tallies were all the Knights needed. She followed her perfect first with 1-2-3 second and third innings before the first of three key double plays helped her escape the fourth following a leadoff single.
"We have a great defense, always working on defense at practice, good feet, good hands," Willis said. "Coach Jenn [Salling] always preaches having good hands, fielding the ball, bringing it to your belly button. Just having good energy, I think that's one thing that keeps us up and keeps us in games is having good energy on the field, in the batters' box, in the dugout and from the coaches as well."
UCF pulled off another double play to end the top of the fifth inning following a leadoff Bulls single, and catcher Carson Frier recorded a crucial out in the top of the sixth, catching South Florida first baseman Jordyn Kadlub attempting to steal third base after a single and a walk gave the Bulls two runners on with only one out.
The Knights punctuated their defensive clinic with their third double play of the game to clinch their 12th straight win, 19th in their last 20 games, and 12th straight over the Bulls, in the seventh, after Williams fielded a ground ball and threw to first after recording the force out at second base herself.
"Sarah does a good job of feeding the infield, and with the speed that USF has, I felt very confident with her game and keeping them off-balance with her offspeed to pitch to our defense, and she did such a great job with that," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "Our middle [infield] was on fire, rolling those double plays, and I felt like it was a very good matchup."
Willis' outing not only marked the Knights' conference-leading 14th shutout win of the season, but also Willis' fifth of her campaign, tying Grace Jewell for the team-lead. Her eight complete-games pace the squad, and her 1.52 season ERA (133.2 IP, 29 ER) ranks second in The American overall to Dixon's 1.50 mark.
UP NEXT
The Knights will play for their second consecutive AAC Tournament Championship, and third in program history, as well as an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament Saturday morning against the No. 4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. First pitch from USF Softball Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.