Softball Surges Past Missouri, 5-1

ORLANDO – Upon the conclusion of a bottom of the fourth inning that saw the Black and Gold strand the lone baserunner they had mustered to that point, head coach Cindy Ball-Malone challenged her squad.

Through the Knights' first five defensive frames, freshman southpaws Hildie Dempsey and Reagan Vokoun had combined to stifle the visiting Missouri Tigers to the tune of one run on five hits, aided by a pair of double plays turned by their defense behind them.

Offensively, though, the Knights had yet to solve Tigers starter Cierra Harrison.

“We talked about it,” Ball-Malone said. “It’s going to take one swing to change the momentum of this game.”

UCF’s hottest hitter through the team’s first six games obliged. Junior second baseman Sierra Humphreys, after working the count even at 1-1, blasted the third pitch she saw over the camera tower in center field to tie the game, followed shortly after by a two-run go-ahead home run by sophomore catcher Beth Damon.

The two long balls highlighted a five-run bottom of the fifth inning that sent the Knights charging past the Tigers by a 5-1 final score at the UCF Softball Complex Wednesday evening, clinching the program’s sixth win in its first seven games this spring.

UCF’s latest win secured the program’s second consecutive 6-1 start to a season, an effort that ensured the Knights would eclipse the five-run mark for the sixth time in as many victories and yield one or fewer runs for the second straight game and fourth time this spring.

With two more home runs Wednesday as well, the Black and Gold bring a total of 11 into their first road trip of the spring, sitting within one of Texas Tech’s 12 for the Big 12 Conference lead and boasting the program’s highest home run total through seven games since the 2023 Knights slugged 12 through their first seven.

Vokoun, fresh off a dominant three-inning relief effort against the Maryland Terrapins Sunday afternoon that saw her strike out five with just one hit allowed, was tabbed for her first start of the season by Ball-Malone Wednesday.

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native set the tone her squad was looking for from the jump, fanning two of the first three hitters she faced and stranding a two-out single with a pop out that didn’t leave the infield.

Two punchouts in a clean first for 5⃣@ReaganVokoun pic.twitter.com/YgYTY2cUWx

— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) February 11, 2026

Missouri established an offensive rhythm in the second, loading the bases with one out as it searched for the game’s opening tally. Ball-Malone called Dempsey’s number in relief for the fifth time already, and she escaped the frame yielding just a single score.

The Jefferson, Wisconsin, native settled in to her appearance in her second inning, stranding a pair of runners in the third with aid from a 3-6 double play turned by Ashleigh Griffin and Aubrey Evans. The Black and Gold again turned a double play in the fourth, this time of the 4-6-3 variety started by Humphreys, to navigate a scoreless stanza, and Dempsey in the fifth set down the Tigers in order.

Following the fifth-inning home runs by Humphreys and Damon, the Knights tacked on two more insurance runs on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly to build their four-run lead, an advantage that was held by two more relievers, reigning Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week Ava Stuewe and redshirt sophomore right-hander Isabella Vega.

The pair produced clean sixth and seventh frames, allowing just two walks and a single while striking out three. Overall, the relief tandem of Dempsey, Stuewe and Vega yielded just three hits in 5.2 innings coupled with four strikeouts.

Dempsey concludes the Knights’ first homestand of the year as the squad’s leader in innings pitched, having totaled 12.0 with a glistening 1.75 ERA (3 ER) to accompany her two winning decisions.

Humphreys, meanwhile, notched her second straight game with a home run, her third of the season, and has hit safely and driven in at least one run in each of UCF’s first seven games this year.

The Corona, California, native entered play Wednesday the owner of the second highest slugging percentage in the Big 12 Conference (1.333), and with four more total bases Wednesday pulled within two of the league’s leader in the category, Texas Tech’s Mia Williams (26). Her three home runs also pull her to within a tie for the Big 12 Conference lead with Williams, teammate Izzy Mertes and Baylor’s Amber Toven.

With her game-winning two-run shot, Damon has now hit safely in five of her first six games this spring, slugging her second home run in her last three games and boosting her overall line to .400/.471/.933.

UP NEXT
The Knights face their first test away from home this spring, embarking on the 2026 Clearwater Invitational, a tournament during which the squad will face the likes of Northwestern, No. 17 Georgia, No. 10 LSU, No. 8 Nebraska, and NC State. First pitch for UCF’s tournament opener against Northwestern is set for 10 a.m. from the Eddie C. Moore Complex Friday, Feb. 13, and will be streamed on ESPN+.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.