No. 20 Softball Bests Stetson, 5-3, in Return HomeNo. 20 Softball Bests Stetson, 5-3, in Return Home

No. 20 Softball Bests Stetson, 5-3, in Return Home

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

ORLANDO – As senior shortstop Aubrey Evans remarked after producing two of UCF’s five two-out RBI Wednesday evening, they give you three outs for a reason.

“They say the pressure’s higher with two outs, but we work on that a lot in practice, so it comes naturally in the game,” she continued. “We’ve done a good job this season with two-out hitting, so I’m proud of the team.”

Timely hitting and a strong performance in the circle by senior right-hander Lena Elkins keyed the No. 20 UCF softball team’s latest victorious effort, as the group took its midweek contest from the visiting Stetson Hatters by a 5-3 final score at the UCF Softball Complex.

The Knights’ latest triumph boosted the squad to 33-11-1 overall, representing the program’s best mark through 45 games since the 2022 Knights went 35-10, as well as 22-7-1 through its first 30 home games.

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UCF also improved to a perfect 5-0 against Florida-based schools in 2026, having outscored the collective group of Florida Atlantic, FIU, Stetson, FGCU and Florida A&M by an aggregate 41-13 in those matchups. The team’s Wednesday win lifted the program to an overall 56-22 record against in-state opponents in the Cindy Ball-Malone era as well.

They did it on the strength of clutch two-out run-scoring hits off the bats of Evans, sophomore Kendall Yarnell and junior Samantha Rey, with all five runs coming in the third and fourth innings.

Evans first cashed in on a leadoff single by sophomore Coco Jaimes and a one-out walk drawn by Yarnell, driving a 2-0 offering back up the middle of the infield to score both her teammates from second and third to erase an early 1-0 Stetson advantage.

Junior Sierra Humphreys then led off the fourth frame with an infield single, and after Zoe Calvez later drew a two-out walk of her own, Yarnell drove a 2-2 pitch off the third base bag and down the left field line, plating both Humphreys and Calvez. Rey soon followed with a booming RBI triple into the right field corner, scoring Yarnell for the second time to balloon UCF’s lead to 5-1.

The timely hits indeed bolstered the Knights’ average with two outs this season to .301, and the squad now owns a .340 average with runners in scoring position through 45 games this season.

“We love two-out hitting, but we also need to be more productive with the outs immediately following a leadoff baserunner. We’re looking to have better no-out and one-out hitting, but being able to come back and extend the lead like we did tonight really helped us win tonight.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

The five runs scored buoyed Elkins in her 12th appearance and first start of the season, an effort that saw the senior tightrope around traffic throughout the evening en route to throwing a season high six innings of three-run ball.

Stetson managed an early score in the top of the first inning, but Elkins worked her way out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam to limit the Hatters to one, and proceeded to throw five more scoreless frames.

The outing represented her longest since her UCF debut against the Illinois Fighting Illini Feb. 8, 2025, an outing that saw her spin a seven-inning complete game in the Knights’ 2-1 victory.

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“I felt good, making sure to trust my defense working behind me. I was working on settling in and attacking the zone more after the first inning, so I made those adjustments. It was important to remind myself that my defense had my back, and I knew we could score runs offensively too.”

Lena Elkinssenior right-handed pitcher

After Stetson produced a pair of baserunners to lead off the seventh inning, Ball-Malone called upon redshirt sophomore right-hander Isabella Vega to finish the contest, and the Bradenton native came through once again for her squad, nailing down her fifth save of the season.

With five saves this spring, Vega pulled into a tie with Jamie Ujvari (2016) for the most in a single season in program history.

“I thought we came out a little bit flat in the first couple of innings, but we received a really good start from Lena,” Ball-Malone said of the night overall. “When the bats started to get going, I really liked when we strung some things together, because it becomes really hard to stop us.”

UP NEXT
The Knights look to continue their momentum in their final Big 12 regular-season home series this weekend against the visiting No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks. First pitch for Friday's opener 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.