ORLANDO – The UCF softball team saw another strong performance in the circle by its pitching staff against a prolific Texas lineup, but a late-inning rally was not quite enough in the Knights’ 4-2 loss to the No. 2 Longhorns at the UCF Softball Complex Saturday afternoon.
Against a Texas (27-3, 7-1 Big 12) squad that entered the series boasting the top team batting average in the nation and, on average, scores close to nine runs per game, right-hander Sarah Willis took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, facing the minimum through the game’s first four frames.
Willis stranded a one-out walk in the top of the first inning with help from her catcher, Carson Frier, who threw the Longhorns runner out attempting to steal second base for the third out of the inning, before retiring the next 11 consecutive Texas hitters.
The visitors struck for a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth inning, answered immediately by the Knights (14-13, 2-6 Big 12) with two runs in the home half. A leadoff Jasmine Williams double followed by a single from Aubrey Evans put runners on second and third with one out, and productive at-bats by Samantha Rey and Stormy Kotzelnick brought both teammates home to tie the affairs at two runs apiece.
Junior southpaw Ava Justman threw a pair of scoreless frames to close the game out of the bullpen, but the Longhorns tacked on two more prior to her entrance in the top of the sixth inning to take their two-run advantage.
UP NEXT
The Knights look to snap their skid in the series finale against second-ranked Texas, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. from the UCF Softball Complex Sunday afternoon.
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