No. 25 Softball Triumphs over Notre Dame, 6-2

ORLANDO – Thrust into another pivotal moment off the bench Saturday evening, sophomore utility Kendall Yarnell once again found a way to come through in a big way for her squad.

With the Knights trailing the Fighting Irish, 2-1, and the contest entering its later stages in the bottom of the fourth inning, starting left fielder Destiny Washington and right fielder Zoe Calvez managed to reach safely in consecutive plate appearances with two outs.

Just as she had on Opening Night against Boston U Feb. 5, head coach Cindy Ball-Malone called upon Yarnell to pinch hit for Samantha Rey with traffic on the basepaths. Against the Terriers 17 days ago, the sophomore delivered one of the biggest hits of her young career, a first-inning, pinch hit grand slam that helped lead the Knights to their 13-0 run-rule victory.

Saturday’s plate appearance saw a similar result.

Yarnell, after falling behind 0-2 early in her at-bat, drilled a go-ahead, three-run home run that sparked the No. 25 UCF softball team’s 6-2 victory over Notre Dame, a key bounce-back win following the program’s narrow 6-5 loss to Penn State the night before.

The win marked the Knights’ 12th of the year, boosting the program to a 12-4 mark through its first 16 games, remaining its best start through the first 16 games of a season since 2021 (13-3), as well as a 9-2 record through its first 11 home games.

Yarnell’s fourth-inning long ball highlighted a four-RBI evening for the Olathe, Kansas native, already her third four-RBI display of the season after she previously topped out at three RBI against the Kansas Jayhawks May 4, 2025.

The home run also marked her third career pinch hit home run, and her second this season, after she led the Big 12 Conference in pinch hits last season, hitting .324 (11-for-34) with three walks and 14 total bases in pinch-hit situations in 2025.

“I try not to think too much about it,” she said. “Thinking back to the grand slams on opening weekend, I didn’t even know the bases were loaded. It’s just an at-bat, it’s no different no matter how many runners are on. I’m just trying to put a good swing on a pitch.”

Yarnell’s three-run shot followed a second-inning solo homer by teammate Izzy Mertes that put the Knights on the scoreboard in response to a two-run frame by the Irish in the top half. Mertes’ latest homer, her fourth of the season, also snapped an 0-for-7 stretch dating back to UCF’s 6-2 win over NC State in Clearwater Feb. 15.

The duo combined to give the Knights their fifth game with multiple home runs this spring, as well as their 18th and 19th of the year, good for fourth most in the Big 12 Conference.

UCF’s late-game offensive efforts supported senior right-hander Katelyn Cochran, who earned her first winning decision of the season with 3.1 innings of scoreless ball in relief after freshman Tori Payne accounted for the game’s first four outs.

The senior’s 3.1 frames marked her most in a game since she tossed 3.1 scoreless innings at Baylor April 21, 2024, and her winning decision represented the third of her career.

“I was ready for the moment. We’ve worked really hard this offseason focusing on coming into the game in relief like that to do our jobs. That’s been a big motivator of mine, to pave the way for the younger pitchers, and to have them look up to you and know they’re watching what you’re doing really pushes and motivates me.”

Junior second baseman Sierra Humphreys later tallied her sixth RBI of the weekend and her 21st of the season with a fifth-inning RBI double, and Yarnell would add her fourth RBI of the night on a sixth-inning RBI single to center field.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Isabella Vega represented UCF’s second reliever of the contest with two outs in the top of the fifth, and clinched her second save of the weekend with 2.1 scoreless frames, yielding just one hit.  

UP NEXT
UCF looks to conclude the SpaceU Classic on a high note when it meets Notre Dame and Charleston Southern in a Sunday afternoon twin bill. First pitch against the Fighting Irish is set for 11 a.m. ET 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.