ORLANDO – “Timely hitting,” said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone, “has definitely been the name of the game for us.”
In the nightcap of the UCF softball team’s Friday Charge On Classic opener, the Black and Gold’s offensive production could not have been timelier.
The Knights, once again demonstrating their late-game resolve and fortitude, found a way to battle back in the final two innings to earn a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Providence Friars Friday night, just hours after the squad recorded a dominant 8-0, five-inning run-rule victory over the George Mason Patriots to open its weekend action.
UCF’s Friday evening win, one that pushed the squad to nine games north of .500 at 15-6-1, already represented the team’s fourth come-from-behind win of the season in games the Knights trailed either by three or more runs or in the fifth inning or later.
The Black and Gold found themselves in both categories Friday evening, coming to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning mired in a 3-0 deficit. Their comeback bid finally gained legs thanks to a dropped fly ball by the Providence left fielder.
Designated player Beth Damon hit a high pop up to left field, one that wasn’t handled and ultimately dropped, and Damon never stopped running. The freshman was pinch-ran for by senior Deana Cunningham, who later broke the ice and scored UCF’s first run of the evening on a pinch-hit RBI single by freshman infielder Kendall Yarnell.
The deficit then at two runs, UCF rallied for three more sixth-inning scores to take its first lead of the evening. Sierra Humphreys led off the frame with a single, and Stormy Kotzelnick swatted her second double of the game into the right-center field gap, allowing Humphreys time to score all the way from first base.
A well-placed bunt by freshman infielder Coco Jaimes resulted in an infield single, and after a stolen base by Jaimes placed runners on second and third, a ground ball to first base by Ashleigh Griffin produced the tying run.
After a replay review on the tag on Kotzelnick at home plate was deemed obstruction, UCF was awarded its crucial third run to pull even with Providence at three runs apiece. A sacrifice fly by Damon later in the inning give UCF the fourth run it needed to complete the comeback.
“Our pitching has really held us in there lately. Aside from a few uncommon freebies, they did a really good job keeping us in the game,” Ball-Malone said.
Freshman right-hander Yessenia Lopez was tabbed for the eighth start and 12th appearance of her debut campaign against the Friars, and set her team in the right direction with a pair of strikeouts in the top of the first to work around a one-out single.
She stranded a leadoff double with her third punchout of the game in the second, and through Providence managed a third-inning tally, Lopez limited the damage to one before adding her fourth punchout of the game in the top of the fourth.
Back-to-back leadoff Providence baserunners in the top of the fifth proved costly for the Knights, as both scored in the inning, but senior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton kept the contest from getting too far out of reach with a trio of strikeouts in the inning.
Felton worked around a defensive miscue and a one-out walk in the sixth with yet another strikeout, and in the seventh recorded an efficient 1-2-3 inning that featured her fifth punchout to clinch the Knights’ fifth one-run victory this spring.
“They were playing a bit tight,” Ball-Malone continued. “I told them, ‘Guys, we have to play to win.’ Our tradition is to protect the Plex, and it was time to do it. I’m proud of how they responded.”
UCF’s thrilling late-night victory came on the heels of their comfortable eight-run win over the Patriots to open their weekend action, behind four scoreless frames from Lena Elkins in notching her third win of the season and a spotless fifth from redshirt freshman Isabella Vega to close the contest out.
The Knights plated one run in the first, three in the second, a fifth in the third and three more in the home half of the fourth to reach the eight-run threshold and secure their third run-rule victory of the season, as well as their second straight shutout win and sixth of the season.
After Izzy Mertes and Sierra Humphreys executed a first-inning double steal of second and home plate, junior infielder Aubrey Evans swatted her first home run of the season over the left field wall with Madison Simon on base in front of her to extend UCF’s advantage to 3-0. An RBI single on the infield from Kotzelnick soon followed, and going into the third inning, the Knights held a quick 4-0 edge.
Sophomore Samantha Rey manufactured a run with her speed in the third, stealing second after being hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, and later scoring on a Jaimes sacrifice fly.
The Black and Gold continued to add on in the fourth, on an RBI single by Sierra Humphreys and a two-run base hit by Rey as the Knights sought to end the contest early.
After Elkins surrendered just one hit in her four innings of work, Vega entered and spun a spotless fifth to end the contest in five frames.
UP NEXT
UCF will look to extend its win streak Saturday evening, when the squad will once again square off against Providence before taking on North Florida in game two. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF softball on X (@UCF_Softball), Instagram (@UCF.Softball) and Facebook (/UCFSoftball).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite teams by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android devices. The app provides personalized information for men’s and women’s teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and breaking news. Click here to download the app now.