Softball

UCF, Houston, and Memphis end conference play with wins


 
Memphis 2, UConn 0 Box Score Recap
Houston 5, USF 4 (10) Box Score Recap
UCF 4, No. 25/24 Tulsa 3 Box Score Recap

After No. 24 Tulsa scored two runs in the seventh inning and had the bases loaded with two outs, UCF freshman starting pitcher Alea White reentered the game. The Land O'Lakes, Fla., native notched her second strikeout to secure a 4-3 win and series victory at regular-season champion Tulsa on Sunday.

No. 3 UCF begins The American Championship in Greenville, N.C., on Thursday at 4 p.m. against host No. 6 East Carolina.

Freshman Sarah Queen hit a bases-loaded, walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Houston a 5-4 victory over USF to clinch the American Athletic Conference series win, 2-1, in the regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon at Cougar Softball Stadium.

With the win, the Cougars improve to 28-24 overall and 12-6 in The American, while the Bulls fall to 32-23 on the season and 9-8 in conference action. The walk-off win gives Houston its fifth series victory in league play.

The Cougars will enter the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship as the No .2 seed. Houston will face seventh-seeded UConn in a 12:30 p.m. CT first pitch on Thursday, May 11. 

Two runs on four hits in the top of the seventh inning led  Memphis to a 2-0 victory over UConn Sunday afternoon, gifting the Tigers their second series win of the conference schedule. The Tigers end the regular season with a 28-26 overall record and 7-11 conference mark and will head into the conference tournament on a two-game winning streak.

The first six innings of play proved to be a pitchers duel as there were just a combined five hits between the two squads. The Memphis offense came alive, however, in the top of the seventh inning by stringing together four consecutive hits to score two runs.