Felton Throws First No-Hitter as Softball Tops Quinnipiac, 3-0, and Pitt, 4-2Felton Throws First No-Hitter as Softball Tops Quinnipiac, 3-0, and Pitt, 4-2

Felton Throws First No-Hitter as Softball Tops Quinnipiac, 3-0, and Pitt, 4-2

by Ryan Ladika
  • Game 1
  • Game 2
Box Score

ORLANDO – As far as superstition goes, Knights senior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton bucked the trend somewhat in her latest appearance Thursday evening, failing to keep to the usual gameday routine she had set for herself throughout her first three-plus seasons in Orlando.

“I actually didn’t listen to my pregame playlist today,” she recalled with a smile. “So maybe that’s going to be added to the rotation, going with silence and no music.”

Bringing a sense of serenity into her eighth appearance and third start of the 2025 campaign, Felton produced one of the most dominant of her career, throwing her first collegiate no-hitter and the 25th in program history in UCF’s weekend-opening 3-0 victory over the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Freshman right-hander Yessenia Lopez starred throughout the Black and Gold’s nightcap as well, throwing her second career complete game and her first of seven innings in leading UCF to a 4-2 victory over the Pitt Panthers.

“I love doing it for my teammates, just seeing them out here. It seems like I did something big, but those girls made great plays, like (Samantha Rey) laying out and making that catch in the sixth inning. That’s a feisty team, so having my team behind me playing really good defense, I love celebrating that with them.”

Kaitlyn Feltonright-handed pitcher

In addition to the 25th no-no in program history, Felton recorded UCF’s 14th individual seven-inning no-hitter and the first since Sarah Willis’ seven-inning perfect game against Houston April 28, 2023. She joined the likes of UCF Hall of Famers Mackenzie Audas, Shelby Turnier and Allison Kime in the exclusive seven-inning no-no club.

“It’s so cool, we love to focus on the past, present and future,” Felton continued. “Getting to see some of the girls who used to play here, and the culture they helped build that we are lucky enough to carry on, it’s great.”

The right-hander was in command of the affairs throughout her Thursday start, retiring 21 of the 22 total hitters she faced with a season high seven strikeouts in her third outing of seven innings this spring.

She fanned one in a spotless top of the first inning, sandwiched her second strikeout between a pair of groundouts in the top of the second, and in the third induced two more groundouts accompanied by her third strikeout.

The Knights broke offensively in the home half of the third, cashing in on a leadoff Aubrey Evans infield single with an Izzy Mertes RBI double that gave UCF its first lead of the day.

The two-bagger, Mertes’ seventh of the young season, pushed UCF’s Big 12 Conference-leading doubles total to 22, with Mertes pulling into a share for first in the league with Arizona’s Kaiah Altmeyer.

The Knights added two more in the fourth inning courtesy of a pair of triples by Beth Damon and Aubrey Evans, followed by an RBI infield single by Sierra Humphreys. Evans in the inning swatted her second triple of the year, and Damon the first of her collegiate career.

The production was more than enough for Felton, who worked around an error in the top of the fourth with three more punchouts, followed by a trio of flyouts in the top of the fifth.

As the game’s conclusion inched ever nearer, Rey made the history-saving play that is often required in any no-hitter. The Bobcats’ Noelle Reid lifted a soft fly ball between Rey and right fielder Alexis Morgan to lead off the sixth frame, one that appeared destined for the outfield grass.

Rey, already with an appearance on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays under her belt this year, left her feet once more and made a standout catch with an outstretched left arm.

Another popout and groundout saw Felton safely through the remainder of the inning, and the senior punctuated her historic start with two more flyouts and her seventh strikeout in the seventh.

“Controlling the tempo of the game, and letting her pitches work and move. It’s an art, and she’s doing a great job of perfecting it. She’s got some of the best stuff among players who have pitched here, so being able to pitch with such great pitchers during her time, she keeps adding to who she is and what she does in the circle. That means a lot.”

Cindy Ball-MaloneHead coach

Lopez continued the day’s theme with a second dominant start in the team’s nightcap matchup with Pitt, running with the momentum of her team’s early offensive exploits to help lead UCF to its ninth win of the season.

The freshman recorded her first strikeout in a spotless first inning, and Humphreys gave her an immediate lift with her first home run of the season to lead off the bottom half.

Rey later came through with UCF’s second double of the day and 23rd of the season, driving in Kendall Yarnell and Stormy Kotzelnick to balloon her team’s lead to 3-0 before the third out had been made.

The Black and Gold’s fourth run, scored by Humphreys in the second, came across on an astute baserunning play by Mertes, remaining in a rundown long enough for her teammate to add another tally prior to the third out of the inning.

Lopez, meanwhile, continued to roll in the circle, stranding a two-out infield single in the third with a pair of strikeouts, and leaving two more Panthers on base with her fourth punchout in the fourth inning.

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The freshman showed poise even as Pitt staged a late comeback bid, limiting the visitors to one run in the fifth despite yielding two hits and a wild pitch, and tiptoeing around a one-out walk and double in the sixth.

Though the Panthers managed their second score in the top of the seventh, Lopez was again unshakeable, stamping out the Pitt rally to secure UCF’s two-run victory.

“They’re a great hitting squad, really aggressive, so we were just going after them with my best stuff,” Lopez said. “As the game goes on, we were trying some different things here and there, but at the end of the day, I was just trying to stick to my best stuff.”

UP NEXT

UCF will look to bring its momentum into its Friday tilt with FGCU as the weekend SpaceU Classic rolls on. First pitch is set for 5 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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