A clean sweep of the Houston Cougars over this weekend’s three-game home series helped No. 17/18 UCF to improve their overall record to 40-6, with 11-1 record in The American. The Knights took down Houston 2-0 and 13-0 (5) in their Saturday doubleheader, as senior Mackenzie Audas earned her school record fifth no-hitter and set the program record with 72 career wins.
In game one UCF took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore Brittany Solis hit an RBI single up the middle, driving in senior Farrah Sullivan from second base. The Knights’ only other run was scored by senior Maddy Schroeder in the bottom of the fifth, when sophomore Linnea Goodman singled through the left side. In Shelby Turnier’s 20th win of the season, she allowed only two hits and struck out three in a complete-game effort.
After two scoreless innings in game two, UCF scored 10 runs in the bottom of the third. For just the fourth time in program history the team scored double digit runs in a single inning, and it was the first time that it has come in the third inning. The Knights scored three more runs the following inning and totaled 14 hits in the victory. Audas threw her second no-hitter of the season and her first against a conference team as she struck out seven Cougars and allowed just two walks. Audas was tied with UCF alum Allison Kime in both wins and no-hitters, but now claims the two records as her own.
On Sunday’s 8-2 victory over Houston the Knights tallied a season-high 16 hits and reached back-to-back 40-win campaigns for just the second time in program history. Seven of nine batters finished with an RBI and four Knights had a multiple-hit game. Junior Kalyn Cenal batted 1.000 with four at-bats in the game while tying the school record with four hits, including one RBI.
UCF will head to Memphis to take on a three-game series against the Tigers, with the first game of their doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18. Houston will look to pick up a non-conference road win against No. 10/9 Louisiana on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. The Cougars continue conference play next weekend as they host UConn in a three-game series, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.