No. 23 Softball Earns Series Victory over No. 12 Oklahoma StateNo. 23 Softball Earns Series Victory over No. 12 Oklahoma State

No. 23 Softball Earns Series Victory over No. 12 Oklahoma State

Box Score

STILLWATER, Okla. – “It shows that we’re meant to be here.”

For the second time in as many seasons, the UCF softball team kicked off Big 12 Conference play with a statement road series win.

“Coach Bear talked to us before the game,” sophomore utility Kendall Yarnell continued. “We do deserve to be in these games. It showed our grit and our discipline with being able to stay focused throughout this last game. How we responded and were able to come back in that third game was really good.”

Behind a relentless offensive attack that drew up an answer for the Cowgirls at every turn, the 23rd-ranked Knights knocked off No. 12 Oklahoma State for the second time this weekend, this time by a 6-4 final score at Cowgirl Stadium Sunday afternoon.

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The effort clinched the Black and Gold’s first conference series win of the season, as well as the first series win over Oklahoma State in program history just two days after UCF earned its first road win over the Cowgirls in Stillwater.

The Knights also notched their second series win over a ranked opponent since joining the Big 12 Conference, joining the program’s effort in Tucson March 7-9, 2025, that saw the Black and Gold take two of three from then-No. 4 Arizona to open their conference slate.

UCF has now begun each of its three conference slates as a member of the Big 12 with a series win as well, having taken two of three from the Kansas Jayhawks March 8-10, 2024, prior to its performance in Tucson last spring.

“We’re going to stop and celebrate and be proud of what we’ve done, but we’re nowhere near finished. Focusing on the standard after we’ve celebrated this weekend, we’re moving on to the next weekend and our big thing is staying consistent throughout the entire year.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

Not 24 hours removed from a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of the No. 12 Cowgirls Saturday, the Knights tagged Oklahoma State ace Ruby Meylan for four earned runs and added two more against senior RyLee Crandall to clinch the series win, outscoring the Cowgirls 11-7 throughout the weekend while outhitting Oklahoma State 32-12 in the series.

The four earned runs marked the most allowed by Meylan in her last nine appearances dating back to the Duke Blue Devils’ 9-6 win over Oklahoma State in Clearwater Feb. 14, with the right-hander having yielded one or fewer earned scores in each outing over a stretch spanning her previous 44 innings.

Led by three-games from Izzy Mertes, Kendall Yarnell and Coco Jaimes, the Black and Gold found the scoreboard in each of the final four innings of Sunday’s finale, first in response to a two-run Cowgirl third before again answering a two-run Oklahoma State sixth.

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After Oklahoma State snatched an early 2-0 advantage in the home half of the third on a two-run Rosie Davis home run, the Knights drew up their first offensive response, tying the game at two on Beth Damon’s second homer of the series and a Coco Jaimes RBI double to left center.

Damon’s fourth-inning solo shot gave the sophomore a new single-season high nine this spring, her second consecutive contest with a long ball, and ensured UCF its third straight game with a home run after Mertes’ first-inning three-run shot in game one of the series.

The sophomore catcher has especially been productive in her home state of Oklahoma, having hit the fourth home run of her collegiate career in games played in the Sooner State.

“The motherland is a special place. It’s always exciting to get a ranked win, and I’m really looking forward to next weekend and to continue competing throughout the Big 12 schedule.”

Beth DamonSophomore catcher

Jaimes’ double, meanwhile, factored into an overall 3-for-4 day for the sophomore third baseman, marking her second multi-hit game of the series and second three-hit game of the year.

Jaimes, Damon and junior infielder/outfielder Samantha Rey each posted averages north of .500 throughout the weekend, with Rey leading the charge with a .625 mark (5-for-8) with one double, one triple and two RBI.

The Knights took their first lead of the game, 3-2, in the top of the fifth, on a sacrifice fly to right field by Damon that plated Rey, and they tacked on their fourth run of the contest in the sixth on Rey’s RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Oklahoma State fought back to tie the affairs at four in the home half of the sixth, but the Knights were relentless, scoring two more times in the top of the seventh against Meylan on back-to-back doubles by Mertes and Sierra Humphreys and a Yarnell infield RBI single.

“The way we fought, we were in every single inning of this one. We could have capitalized a little bit more offensively, and there are a few defensive adjustments to be made, but all in all, I’m really proud of how we battled back against a seasoned team.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

Redshirt sophomore Isabella Vega was tabbed for her second start of the series and third appearance overall this weekend in Sunday’s finale, and spun a pair of scoreless frames before the Cowgirls took their third-inning lead with two outs.

Ball-Malone called upon redshirt junior right-hander Macy Miles to finish the frame, and the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native obliged with a strikeout of Karli Godwin.

Miles then spun a scoreless fourth frame, stranding a one-out walk, and notched the fifth inning’s first out before UCF’s eighth-year head coach made her second and third calls to the bullpen, summoning freshman southpaw Reagan Vokoun and senior right-hander Katelyn Cochran for the frame’s final two outs.

Vega then re-joined the affairs in the home half of the sixth and registered the game’s final six outs to clinch her second winning decision of the weekend and her seventh of the season.

Overall, UCF’s pitching staff limited Oklahoma State to a .162 batting average-against, with only one of the Cowgirls’ seven runs throughout the weekend earned. Vega totaled a team high 11.2 innings of work with a team-best nine strikeouts, followed by freshman Ava Stuewe’s 6.2 innings.

“This game has changed into hitters figuring out great pitchers. They’ve seen Isa quite a bit the last two days, so we knew we were going to change it up there and each pitcher knew who they were coming in for, what matchups they were coming in for, and they did a great job capitalizing.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

UP NEXT
Fresh off their first Big 12 Conference series win of the spring, the Knights look to continue their momentum at home against the Baylor Bears March 13-15. First pitch for the teams’ series-opener Friday evening is set for 6 p.m. from the UCF Softball 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.