ORLANDO – The group battled through a hard-fought eight-inning contest, but the UCF softball team was edged in its series finale by the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 4-3, at the UCF Softball Complex Saturday afternoon.
A trio of Knights arms, Yessenia Lopez, Kaitlyn Felton and Katelyn Cochran, combined to hold the Cowgirls to just two hits in a contest that saw the Black and Gold stage multiple late offensive rallies, led by freshman Izzy Mertes’ multi-extra-base hit display.
The game represented just the third time this season Oklahoma State had been limited to two hits, joining the team’s 1-0 win over Nebraska Feb. 28 and its 8-0 loss to Florida State Feb. 8.
Lopez, after impressing in her Thursday evening relief appearance in the series-opener, was tasked with the start by head coach Cindy Ball-Malone Saturday. She quickly dispatched of a two-out walk in the top of the first inning with a pair of strikeouts, and in the top of the second fanned two more in a 1-2-3 frame.
The Knights then received the early offensive start they were looking for in the home half, cracking the scoreboard first for the second straight game. Left fielder Samantha Rey worked a leadoff walk, and later with two outs, shortstop Aubrey Evans came through with a single to center field that dropped in front of, and momentarily escaped possession of, the Cowgirls center fielder, allowing Rey to score from first base.
Lopez and Cochran made the run stand through the next three stanzas, with the former inducing a trio of pop outs in the third and striking out her fifth Oklahoma State hitter in the fourth.
Ball-Malone opted for Cochran with a runner on base in the fifth inning, who later wiggled out of a two-on, two-out jam with a flyout to Madison Simon in center field.
Oklahoma State finally broke through offensively in the sixth, taking a one-run lead on Amanda Hasler’s two-run home run, though Mertes represented the Knights’ answer in the home half with her fourth home run of the season to tie the affairs at two.
Felton, the second arm out of UCF’s bullpen, worked a spotless seventh inning before Oklahoma State again produced a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to take a two-run advantage.
Mertes again produced UCF’s response in the home half, an RBI double to center field that scored pinch-runner Alexis Morgan from first, but the Black and Gold were unable to push across the equalizer.
UP NEXT
UCF looks to bounce back in its final midweek contest of the season, a road matchup in DeLand against the Stetson Hatters Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. from Patricia Wilson field, and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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