No. 22 Softball Earns 3-2 Walk-Off Win over FGCUNo. 22 Softball Earns 3-2 Walk-Off Win over FGCU

No. 22 Softball Earns 3-2 Walk-Off Win over FGCU

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

ORLANDO – “I was just doing what my team needed.”

Knights redshirt senior first baseman Ashleigh Griffin had found herself in key high-leverage situations before.

Just last season alone, the veteran lifted her team to wins over then-No. 4 Arizona twice, Stetson and Utah, all coming via walk-off or go-ahead, and eventual game-winning, home runs. Her .351 average with two outs paced the squad, and her 18 two-out RBI trailed only Aubrey Evans’ 19 for the team lead.

Early Wednesday evening at the UCF Softball Complex, Griffin channeled her knack for clutch hitting once more, lining a one-out, eighth-inning walk-off RBI double to the right-center field gap to push the No. 22 UCF softball team to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the FGCU Eagles.

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The team’s latest triumph snapped a brief three-game skid and saw the program improve to 25-10 through 35 games, representing the Black and Gold’s best 35-game start since the 2022 Knights began the season 28-7.

“My teammates have had my back all year, and it was time for me to do what I do best. They passed the bat to me. Leaving last weekend with a hit like I did definitely helps going into the following games.”

Ashleigh GriffinFirst baseman

UCF also clinched its first walk-off win of the 2026 season in its first game of the year to go beyond the regulation seven innings, as well as its second walk-off victory over FGCU in as many seasons, joining the program’s 2-1 walk-off victory against the Eagles Feb. 21, 2025.

The effort clinched the Knights’ eighth straight win over FGCU as well, moving UCF’s all-time lead in the series to 15-1, and boosted the program to a 55-22 all-time record against Florida-based schools under head coach Cindy Ball-Malone.

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, these kind of games are super important for our team, some individual players, and the culture of our program. We haven’t had many like this this year. I loved their fight. We’re going through that tough part of our season, and I appreciate how they stuck with it and came out with the win.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

UCF’s eighth-year head coach tabbed freshman Tori Payne for her fourth start and ninth appearance of the season overall, and the right-hander responded with the strongest outing of her young career, tossing a career high 3.2 scoreless frames with just one hit allowed.

Payne retired four of the first six hitters she faced and authored perfect first and third innings to bring a no-hit bid into the top of the fourth, before senior Katelyn Cochran was called upon to extinguish an FGCU rally.

The staff’s offense, meanwhile, managed to grab an early lead in the home half of the third inning, when sophomore Beth Damon cashed in on an Aubrey Evans one-out double. The catcher lined a two-out single up the middle to plate Evans, giving UCF a 1-0 advantage and Damon her team-leading 35th RBI of the season.

The tandem of Cochran and redshirt sophomore Isabella Vega in the circle kept FGCU quiet offensively until a one-out two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning gave the visitors a late 2-1 edge. Vega bounced back quickly, though, retiring the final two hitters of the frame to limit the damage.

“I thought she did great, staying ahead of hitters and keeping the ball in the infield. We made the change for matchup purposes, but she did a great job.”

Cindy Ball-Maloneon Tori Payne
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The Knights managed a late rally of their own in the home half of the seventh inning, capitalizing on a pair of FGCU errors and a bunt single by Samantha Rey to allow Destiny Washington to score the tying run.

Thanks in part to Vega’s strong relief effort holding the Eagles scoreless for the game’s final two innings, UCF pushed across the game-winner in the home half of the eighth on Griffin’s key double that allowed Sierra Humphreys to score all the way from first base.

“We’ve been practicing that, because we’ve misplayed a few first-and-thirds in the last few opportunities we’ve had,” Ball-Malone said of the seventh-inning’s game-tying play. “When they called timeout, it gave us an opportunity to come together and go over what we needed to do. Rey-Rey knew what she was doing, and we took what they gave us in that moment.”

Griffin’s double represented her third career walk-off hit, joining her walk-off two-run homer against Utah in the opening round of the 2025 Big 12 Conference tournament and her walk-off single in the Knights’ 5-4 win over South Carolina in Orlando March 5, 2022.

“We believe in ourselves and we’re going to fight until our last breath,” Griffin added. “No matter how many outs we have left, we’re going to fight.”

UP NEXT
The Knights embark on their fourth Big 12 Conference series of the spring campaign against the Houston Cougars on the road this weekend. First pitch for Friday evening’s series-opener is set for 7 p.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.