No. 20 Softball Walks Off No. 24 Kansas, 6-3, on Yarnell's Eighth-Inning Home RunNo. 20 Softball Walks Off No. 24 Kansas, 6-3, on Yarnell's Eighth-Inning Home Run

No. 20 Softball Walks Off No. 24 Kansas, 6-3, on Yarnell's Eighth-Inning Home Run

Knights break the program's single-season home run record in 34th win of the season

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

ORLANDO – A promise was made, and a promise was kept.

Sophomore utility Kendall Yarnell approached her starting pitcher, Isabella Vega, prior to her seventh-inning at-bat and told the redshirt sophomore that the offense would again pick her up.

Vega, having already thrown a season high-tying seven innings and 132 pitches to keep the visiting No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks at bay in a contest knotted up at three runs apiece, needed just one more tally in the bottom of the seventh from her squad to end it.

“I actually told her in the dugout, ‘I will score you runs, I promise you.’”

Kendall YarnellSophomore utility

She drew a six-pitch walk in her seventh-inning opportunity at the plate, giving her squad a key leadoff baserunner, but not quite following through on her declaration to her pitcher moments before.

In Yarnell’s next chance an inning later, though, she delivered.

“We were in the eighth inning, and we’d been battling and getting runners on,” Yarnell continued. “It was time to drive them in.”

After sophomore outfielder Zoe Calvez led off the frame with a single down the left field line and sophomore utility Izzy Mertes drew a six-pitch walk of her own, Yarnell blasted the fourth pitch of her fifth plate appearance of the evening over the center field wall.

“I was looking for the outside; we had talked about, with the first girl, being in a deep window, looking for the outside pitch and the changeup. We weren’t really executing, myself included, so we were just trying to get back on top of the execution.”

Kendall YarnellSophomore utility
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Yarnell’s eighth-inning three-run home run Friday evening put the finishing touches on UCF’s 34th win of the season and 11th in Big 12 Conference play, as the Black and Gold took their weekend series-opener from the visiting Jayhawks by a 6-3 final score in eight innings of action. It also represented UCF’s 58th team home run of the season, setting a new program single-season record, and gave Yarnell sole possession of the team lead in long balls with her 13th of the spring.

The Olathe, Kansas, native’s home run sparked a bit of déjà vu, as well, as she was the one to provide the key game-winning home run in UCF’s most recent contest against Kansas May 4, 2025, also a three-run home run out to dead center field that helped UCF complete the series sweep in Lawrence to conclude the 2025 regular season.

Her late-inning heroics also made a winner out of Vega, who collected her 16th triumphant decision of the season in spinning a season high eight innings with 151 total pitches, the most thrown by the Bradenton, Florida, native in a single game in her two-year career.

Vega’s eight inning effort represented the second outing of her collegiate career that eclipsed the eight-inning mark, joining her 8.2 inning outing against Iowa State in Orlando March 20, 2025.

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“She’s awesome, she’s been doing outstanding. All the pitchers have. I’ve seen a lot of confidence in them, and I saw it in Isa tonight. She really is a team-first player, and it showed today.”

Kendall Yarnellsophomore utility

The Knights’ latest victory, one that marked the third straight late-inning come-from-behind win over the Jayhawks dating back to the teams’ series in Lawrence last season, began with the visitors seizing the contest’s early momentum.

After Vega spun a 10-pitch top of the first inning and UCF grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the home half on an RBI double by Beth Damon, Kansas wasted no time striking back, plating its three scores in the second and third frames to take a two-run lead.

The Knights managed an answer in the bottom of the fourth, via a Calvez RBI single up the middle to cut the Jayhawks’ lead to 3-2, but still couldn’t quite replicate their first-inning offensive momentum.

“Kansas is a very good team; they’ve got good offense, hitting, pitching, you name it. For us to chip away and stick to the process and the plan after they put those early runs up, I’m really proud of them for doing that, and I thought Isa got better as the game went on.”

Cindy Ball-Malonehead coach

Indeed, UCF’s redshirt sophomore starter kept her team in the game until the Black and Gold again broke through at the plate, this time in the bottom of the sixth. A one-out Coco Jaimes walk advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Calvez was brought around by junior Samantha Rey’s infield single off the Jayhawks’ first baseman’s glove, and brought UCF back to even with its third run of the contest.

All the while, Vega continued getting stronger with each passing inning, stifling a Kansas offense that entered the evening ranking in the top three in the Big 12 Conference in team average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage en route to throwing her 10th complete game of the season.

She spun five consecutive scoreless frames after the Jayhawks’ two-run third, most notably stranding two Kansas runners with three consecutive outs recorded in the top of the seventh and again leaving a leadoff walk on base in the top of the eighth.

“I definitely think I got stronger as the game went on,” Vega said. “Going in and shutting down the first inning, and then I was able to recognize their plan against me in the next couple of innings. I was able to work off of that and change my approach to help keep our team in position to score some runs.”

UP NEXT
UCF goes for the series win in game two against the No. 24 Jayhawks, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. ET from the UCF Softball Complex.

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.