ORLANDO – “I see a different team that comes out on these nights,” said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. “They know they’re playing for something that’s bigger than themselves.”
Donning colored puzzle piece-themed attire for the fourth straight season, the No. 21 UCF softball team once again honored the cause with its performance on the field.
“Such an important night, with us celebrating and honoring autism awareness and acceptance. We’re back at home after a strong weekend last week, and we’re big on protecting the Plex. I think we did just that tonight.”
Aubrey Evanssenior shortstop
Indeed, on the strength of a relentless offensive attack that bolstered another dominant display in the circle, the Knights took the series-opener against the visiting Utah Utes by a convincing 17-0 final score in five innings at the UCF Softball Complex Thursday evening.
The contest featured the program’s fourth annual Autism Awareness and Acceptance night, a cause near and dear to the heart of Ball-Malone and countless others in the community, and for the fourth consecutive season, UCF delivered a statement victory for the occasion.
It began with a comfortable 9-1 win over the FIU Panthers April 11, 2023, and the following season saw the Knights author another 9-1 triumph over Jacksonville April 10, 2024. Last season, UCF produced one of the highest-profile victories in the program’s history on its Autism Awareness and Acceptance night, toppling then-No. 3 Florida, 4-0, in front of close to 1,000 fans at the UCF Softball Complex March 26.
Thursday evening, though, saw the Black and Gold record their most dominant win in the series, clinching the third-largest shutout victory in the program’s history in producing a program-record fourth consecutive game with double-digit runs scored.
Including the Knights’ most recent series sweep in Houston to conclude the month of March, the team has scored 66 runs and hit 23 home runs in its last four games while yielding just nine scores in that span.
“It’s important to be where our feet are,” Evans continued. “Playing one inning, one pitch at a time. We try not to get too ahead of ourselves, and I think we’re staying within ourselves and sticking to the plan and the approach on offense and defense. We’re producing a lot of runs, so it’s been fun to be around.”
UCF on Thursday evening scored at least three runs in all four of its offensive half innings, highlighted by home runs by Evans, Sierra Humphreys and Kendall Yarnell, as well as a seven-run second frame.
Seven Knights recorded at least one hit, led by multi-hit games from Evans, Humphreys, Izzy Mertes and Ashleigh Griffin. Evans, Humphreys and Griffin each recorded three-hit games, and Griffin notched her second four-hit game in her last four games.
The veteran first baseman has hit safely in each of her last six games dating back to UCF’s series finale against then-No. 3 Texas Tech March 22, including three multi-hit games, three doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, 25 total bases and five walks. She owns a team-best .722/.783/1.389 line in that span and has driven in multiple runs in four consecutive games.
With two Thursday home runs, meanwhile, Evans recorded her second multi-homer game in her last four games and has hit five long balls since UCF’s series-opener at Houston last Friday evening.
Yarnell and Humphreys later joined Evans with respective two- and three-run homers, as the trio helped ensure UCF the fourth 50-homer season in program history and the first since the 2021 Knights finished the season with 57.
“In my first at-bat, I battled for the team and got us a few more looks at the pitcher we were facing. Just came in to my second at-bat and knew what I was looking for. I saw it and was able to put a big swing on it.”
Kendall Yarnellsophomore utilityThe sophomore utility, with her 11th home run of the season, tied teammate Beth Damon for the team lead in home runs, while Humphreys inched closer to joining Yarnell, Damon and Mertes in double figures with her ninth homer of the season.
In the circle, redshirt sophomore Isabella Vega and senior Lena Elkins combined to produce the five-inning shutout, UCF’s fifth shutout of the season and second in its last three games. The pair yielded just three hits, and Elkins, in her second-longest appearance of the season, fanned three Utes in her two scoreless frames.
Vega, in spinning a trio of spotless frames to begin the contest, earned her 13th winning decision of the season, one shy of matching the 14 she earned throughout her breakout debut 2025 campaign.
She also earned the winning decision in her team’s fifth straight game dating back to UCF’s 3-2 walk-off win over FGCU March 25, becoming the first Knight since Sarah Willis (May 7-19, 2023) to earn five winning decisions in five consecutive games.
It all factored into the 20th home victory of the season for UCF, clinching the program’s fifth straight 20-plus-win season at home and sixth such season within Ball-Malone’s first seven at the helm (not including the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season). The effort also boosted the squad back above .500 in Big 12 Conference play at 7-6, and within one win of 30 overall for the eighth consecutive season (not counting 2020).
With a win in Friday evening’s game two, UCF would have its 30th win in 40 games, the fastest the program will have reached 30 wins since the 2022 Knights also earned a 30-10 record through 40 games.
“We’ve really come out of our shell,” Yarnell said of the team’s offensive efforts over the last week. “We’ve been focusing on failing the right way and in line with the plan, and everyone’s bought into it. The past four games have shown that when we do that, we can do big things.”
UP NEXT
UCF looks to earn its second straight Big 12 Conference series win and third of the season with a victory in Friday’s game two against Utah. First pitch 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.