Clearwater, Fla. – The No. 14 UCF softball team made the trek down I-4 for the commencement of its part of the 2023 TaxAct Clearwater Invitational Friday afternoon, splitting the first day's worth of games with an 8-2 win over the No. 25 Michigan Wolverines before dropping its nightcap by a 7-0 final score against the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies.
The Knights' opener against the Wolverines was not short of fireworks at the plate and standout performances in the circle, as eight of UCF's nine starting hitters recorded at least one hit in the rout, including four home runs, and the duo of right-hander Sarah Willis and left-hander Angelina DeVoe (2-1) stifled Michigan from the circle.
The contest marked the Knights' second in a row with at least four home runs, following UCF's program-record-tying five homers against No. 23 Missouri at the UCF Softball Complex Wednesday night.
First baseman Shannon Doherty provided an early spark for the UCF offense in the top of the second inning, crushing her second homer of the season in the top of the first inning that also plated Jasmine Williams to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. Two innings later, second baseman Micaela Macario and third baseman Jada Cody both added solo shots of their own to balloon the UCF advantage to 4-0.
For Macario, the reigning American Athletic Conference rookie of the year from a year ago, the long ball marked the first of her young career and her third extra-base hit of the season. The second baseman also extended her hit streak to five straight games in the rout.
Cody, meanwhile, continued to climb the ranks of the career UCF hitting leaderboards, collecting her 124th career RBI to accompany her second homer in as many games. Cody enters Saturday's action just 16 RBI shy of tying Jania Shinhoster for second place on the UCF all-time RBI list.
Right fielder Chloe Evans continued her torrid start to the season and aided the Knights both in the field and at the plate. The Seymour, Wisconsin, native came through with a diving catch to punctuate the bottom of the fourth inning, and in the top of the fifth with a pair of runners on, clubbed her team-leading third home run of the year over the right-center field wall. The homer extended UCF's lead to 7-1 and marked the Knights' ninth home run in their last two games.
Willis and DeVoe kept the Wolverines quiet throughout the afternoon, combining to allow two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts, with DeVoe collecting her second win of the season in the effort.
The Knights' bats turned cold in the nightcap against the Aggies, managing only a trio of hits against Texas A&M starter Shaylee Ackerman. The evening marked the first shutout defeat for the Knights this season.
UP NEXT
UCF will embark on day two of the Clearwater Invitational Saturday morning and into the afternoon, with a pair of contests against No. 16 Duke and No. 12 Alabama. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.