MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In the team's regular season finale, the Knights saved the best for last.
Behind UCF's fifth three-plus homer game of the season and spotless work from the tandem of Sarah Willis and Angelina DeVoe, the (RV) UCF softball team completed its 2023 regular-season slate with a 10-0 run-rule victory over the host Memphis Tigers to complete the three-game sweep.
The Knights' Sunday win marked the team's 10th straight dating back to their 13-1 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane April 16 and clinched UCF's fourth series sweep in their six 2023 conference series. The Knights also locked up their 17th victory in their last 18 games, as well as their 18th in their last 21 games to end the regular season since the commencement of conference play March 24.
"I think it's really good for us," said freshman utility infielder Aubrey Evans. "You need as much momentum as you can get going into the conference tournament, and with 10 wins behind us, we're really trusting each other. We have a lot of confidence in each other, and I think it's really going to help us in the tournament. I'm excited to see where that takes us."
With its strong run to complete the regular season, UCF also clinched the No. 2 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament hosted by the South Florida Bulls May 11-13 and will once again face Memphis in the tournament's first round Thursday afternoon.
UCF finished the regular season with a 36-19 overall record and a 15-3 mark within the American Athletic Conference, marking the third consecutive season the Knights accrued at least 35 overall wins and 15 wins within conference play.
After grinding through a pair of narrow victories over the host Tigers Friday evening and Saturday afternoon that saw UCF outscore Memphis by a combined nine runs to five, the Knights left little to doubt in their 10-run Sunday series finale.
Evans ignited UCF's offense early with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, marking the second home run of her young collegiate career and the first since the Knights' March 19 matchup against the then-No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"I was excited, it was a changeup she left down the middle, and we've been working on staying back on the offspeed and riding out our front side, and I thought I did a good job with that," Evans said. "I honestly didn't think it was going over, I thought it was just a routine pop fly, but it just kept sailing. When I saw it was over, I was super happy."
Evans later tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly to right field, and her 1-for-3, three-RBI day further bolstered her case to be recognized by The American following the conclusion of the season. In 18 conference games, Evans slashed .354/.460/.521 (17-for-48) with six extra-base hits (five doubles and one home run), 14 RBI and 25 total bases.
She also remains one double shy of tying the UCF single-season record of 16, and two of breaking the mark matched most recently by Cassady Brewer in 2019.
The freshman's standout day at the plate only marked the beginning of the Knights' offensive outburst. Sarah Willis, who had made most of her headlines in the circle throughout the season, reminded fans of her potential at the plate as well with the Knights' second two-run home run in as many innings.
The two-way player entered Sunday's action without multiple at-bats in a game since the Knights' March 24 tilt against the Shockers, a span of 16 consecutive games, and only two at-bats in her last six games.
UCF tacked on three more runs courtesy of sacrifice flies by Evans and Jada Cody, as well as an RBI single by Micaela Macario, before Savannah Adams dealt the blow that ended the affairs early, a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that pushed the Knights' lead to 10-0.
With one swing, Adams set a single-game season high in RBI and matching her career-high set during UCF's 15-10 victory over then-No. 11 Texas Feb. 19, 2022 during the Clearwater Invitational.
Willis continued her dominant ways on the other end as well, spinning four scoreless frames before head coach Cindy Ball-Malone turned to Angelina DeVoe to handle the fifth.
"Getting to play Memphis again as our start game, and just letting them know what we're going to be doing coming back out there and not messing around this next time to set us up to try to win the tournament," Willis said.
UP NEXT
With the 2023 regular season complete, the Knights will make the trip to Tampa, Florida for the 2023 American Athletic Conference Tournament, representing the No. 2 seed. The Knights will first draw another matchup with No. 7 Memphis at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, and would play the winner of No. 3 South Florida and No. 6 Memphis Friday at 2:30 p.m. with another win against the Tigers.