Softball Topples No. 10 LSU, 5-1Softball Topples No. 10 LSU, 5-1

Softball Topples No. 10 LSU, 5-1

Knights fall in game two to No. 8 Nebraska, 6-0

by Ryan Ladika
  • Game 1
  • Game 2
Box Score

ORLANDO – Dominant pitching, routine defense and clutch hitting.

The three main keys to the Knights seeing success in 2026 laid out by head coach Cindy Ball-Malone prior to the UCF softball team’s season-opener were on full display Saturday morning, as the program clinched its first statement win of the campaign.

“It was fun,” said freshman right-hander Hildie Dempsey. “My defense really backed me up and the team as a whole brought the energy, so it was fun to play for them.”

A run in the top of the first inning accompanied by two more two-run frames, airtight defense and a strong day in the circle by Dempsey and redshirt sophomore Isabella Vega led the Knights to their first ranked win of the season, 5-1, over the No. 10 LSU Tigers on day two of the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, before the team fell in game two of the day, 6-0, to the No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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“Big team win for us; we did a lot of things that we’ve been working on. Our two pitchers led us in the circle. They’re a very dynamic offensive team, but really what I think won that game was our defense. A few double plays, CC locking it down at second base, and then the clutch hitting we had. It was a fun team win.”

Cindy Ball-MaloneHead coach

UCF’s Saturday win over the Tigers represented its first of the season over a ranked opponent after UCF tied a single-season program record in 2025 with seven ranked wins, three of which came against top 10 teams in then-No. 3 Florida and then-No. 4 Arizona twice.

The contest also saw the Knights off to their best 10-game start to a season since the 2021 slate at 8-2, with their lone two losses coming against then-No. 16 Duke and No. 17 Georgia.

As has been a staple of the 2026 Knights early in the spring, a fast offensive start set the tone UCF was looking for in its third game of the year against a ranked foe.

With one out in the top of the first inning, senior shortstop Aubrey Evans produced her team’s first baserunner of the game with a single up the middle, followed by a four-pitch walk drawn by sophomore utility Izzy Mertes.

Later in the frame, the Knights’ hottest hitter to start the campaign, junior second baseman Sierra Humphreys, cashed in with two outs, lining an RBI single to center field to plate Evans and give UCF the game’s first lead.

Humphreys’ run-scoring knock pushed her season-opening hit streak to 10 consecutive games and ensured an RBI for the Corona, California native in nine of those 10 to begin the new season.

A solo home run to left field by Beth Damon, her third of the spring campaign, the third of her career against a ranked team, and her second career long ball against a top 10 program, highlighted a two-run fourth frame, and Mertes later added an RBI single in a two-run sixth that pushed UCF’s lead to 5-1.

“There’s a lot of consistency all around in our lineup, and a lot of pop. We’re really strong, and we’re very confident in our zone and knowing what our strengths are and going 100 percent.”

Coco JaimesSecond baseman

With the benefit of her team’s early momentum, Dempsey, making her eighth appearance of the season and her second start, turned in one of the strongest of her young career.

LSU responded with a game-tying score in the bottom of the first inning, but she limited the damage to just one, stranding a leadoff single in the home half of the second and tightroping around two more Tiger baserunners in the third.

She recorded the first two outs of the fourth inning before Ball-Malone called upon Vega in relief, matching her season high with 3.2 innings of work and just the lone run allowed.

“It’s fun being able to work for my team and get us through these tough first few weeks. We’ve faced a lot of tough competition and I think we have a lot of depth in our staff and it’s fun being able to work off everyone and do what I can for the team to help get wins.”

Hildie DempseyRight-handed pitcher
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Vega, after representing the Knights’ most dominant arm in 2025, saw that form return once again Saturday, yielding just two hits and a walk in her 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to clinch her team’s signature win.

“I was just looking to close the game and slam the door,” Vega said. “They’re a great hitting team and Hildie did a great job starting off the game and putting us in a good position. I knew my job was to continue what she did and keep the offense at bay and just come through for my team so we can secure the win.”

Matching up against one of the top players in the nation in game two in Nebraska two-way star Jordy Frahm, UCF couldn’t find the same quick offensive momentum, falling in shutout fashion for the first time in its 11 games this spring.

Two of the Knights’ other freshman arms, Reagan Vokoun and Ava Stuewe, combined to notch a trio of strikeouts against the Cornhuskers’ prolific lineup, but Nebraska found the scoreboard in three of the first four innings to earn its fifth win of the season.

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Full game highlights of UCF Softball vs No. 10 LSU on February 14, 2026.

UP NEXT
UCF concludes its weekend at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational with a Sunday afternoon matchup against NC State. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. from the Eddie C. Moore Complex and will be streamed live 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.