Saturday, April 24
No. 25 UCF 8, Memphis 0
The Knights continued their hot stay in Memphis on Saturday, posting eight unanswered runs while UCF starting pitcher Alea White tossed a shutout in the circle to guide UCF to an 8-0 win over the Tigers.
Following the win, UCF moves to 33-12-1, 12-6-1 on the season.
The two sides battled through rough weather throughout the first couple of innings, preventing either side from scoring any runs. In the second inning, the game went into an hour-long rain delay.
When play resumed, White took the circle with a runner on third and just one out. She went on to strike out the next two batters swinging to end the inning and escape the jam, maintaining the 0-0 tie.
White would go on to throw a complete game shutout, her seventh of the year, allowing just four hits while striking out five. With the win, she moves to 17-4 on the season.
"It was another good outing for Alea despite having to battle the weather," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "You can't ask for much more than what she gave us. She really kept the momentum in our hands the entire game and allowed us to get back into the dugout and swing our bats."
And swing the bats the Knights did. UCF posted eight runs on 10 hits, including a momentum-shifting three-run home run off the bat of right fielder Juliana Wilson in the top of the third. The Knights would go on to post six runs total in the third inning to take a 6-0 lead over the Tigers. A two-run double from Jazmine Esparza later in the game would give UCF the 8-0 lead, and White would close the door in the eighth to secure the win and clinch the series for the Black and Gold.
"We're swinging loose and playing free, something we haven't done as much since we started in conference, so it feels really good to be us again," said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "We are laughing and smiling so much right now, and I think that's the most fun part about it."
The Knights will wrap up their series with the Tigers on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Key Moments
With two runners on in the top of the third, UCF right fielder Juliana Wilson hit a three-run home run to give UCF the 3-0 lead over the Tigers.
Kyra Klarkowski drove in a run later in the inning via an RBI single to right center field, extending the Knights' lead to 4-0.
The Knights tacked on another run in the third on an RBI groundout by Hayley Bejarano.
Jada Cody drove in another UCF run in the third on an RBI single, making it a 6-0 Knights lead.
Jazmine Esparza doubled to drive in two more in the seventh, extending UCF's lead to 8-0.
Tulsa 9, East Carolina 0
Kylie Norwood torched the Pirates, going 5-5 on the day as Tulsa defeated East Carolina 9-0 Saturday morning at the Max R. Joyner Family Stadium.
Norwood drove in 2 runs on the day, scoring twice herself in the route to a 9-0 TU victory over East Carolina. The second baseman put in two extra base hits with a double off the right field wall and a solo home run in the top of the third inning.
Altogether, Tulsa raked in 9 hits by 5 different players. The first three batters in the Hurricane lineup - Haley Morgan, Alexis Perry and Norwood – combined to go 7-12 with 7 hits, 6 runs scored and 5 runs batted in.
Kassidy Scott drew the start for the Hurricane, throwing 3 innings without allowing a run. The senior finished her start striking out a batter, while allowing only 4 hits. The Pirates loaded the bases twice on Scott, but both times the calm and collected pitcher forced double-plays to end the inning.
Samantha Pochop (9-1) came in to relieve Scott after the third inning, and she picked up where she left off yesterday. The junior threw 4 innings while not allowing a run and striking out 3 batters. She picked up her 9th win of the season, giving up just 2 hits while facing 16 batters.
The first inning saw strong starts from both teams, as Norwood led off for TU with a single; however, ECU worked out of it, sitting down the next 3 Hurricane batters. In the bottom half of the inning the Pirates used 2 singles and a hit by pitch to load the bases with one out. Kassidy Scott forced a 1-2-3 double-play, snagging a hard-hit ball back to her.
With two outs in the top of the third, the Hurricane bats woke up. Norwood starting the offensive onslaught by hitting a solo homer over the right field fence. Morgan was struck in the leg, Perry singled and Chenise Delce hit a hard grounder to short to force an error and score a run. After another Pirate error, Sarah Briers drew a walk, scoring the 3rd run of the inning.
A Celyna Shaw walk, Norwood double and another Morgan HBP loaded the bases for TU in the top of the 4th. Perry hit another hard grounder to the short stop who threw home overshooting the catcher and allowing Shaw to score. A batter latter, Delce singled through the left side scoring Morgan and giving TU the 5-0 advantage.
Tulsa added a 6th run in the top of the 5th after Gracie Jarvis walked, Aubree Seaney was hit by a pitch and Norwood singled to left field.
Morgan put the icing on the cake for TU, sending a 3-run home run over the left field fence scoring Rylee Keith and Norwood. The home run was the 2nd of Morgan's career.
The Hurricane improved to 20-10 on the season and 11-3 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Pirated fell to 11-27 on the year and 2-13 in AAC action.
Tulsa will be back in action tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. CT for series finale against the ECU Pirates at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Tulsa 0 0 3 2 1 0 3
ECU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
WP: Pochop, S. (9-1) LP: Woodall, K. (6-15)
No. 23 Wichita State 14, USF 3 (5)/USF 3, No. 23 Wichita State 0
No. 23 Wichita State run-ruled USF in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 14-3, only to see the Bulls come back and shut out the Shockers in game two, 3-0.
For the second straight game Wichita State (33-8-1, 15-3-1) struggled at the plate vs. USF standout pitcher Georgina Corrick. Corrick retired the Shockers 12 times in the second game today via strikeout – a season high for the Shockers.
Caitlin Bingham started the first game in the circle and threw another great game to improve to 9-1 on the season. Bingham allowed no runs on just two hits in 4.0 innings to go with three strikeouts.
The Shockers hit five home runs in game one. Madison Perrigan homered twice to go with three RBI, bringing her season total to 15. Addison Barnard went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, Bailey Urban finished 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBI. Ryleigh Buck and Sydney McKinney both logged a pair of hits and an RBI.
In the bottom of the first, Perrigan jumped on the first pitch she saw, sending it over the wall in left-center to give the Shockers an early 2-0 lead. The homer was her 14th of the season.
The lead grew to 5-0 in the bottom of the second. Lauren Lucas, pinch running for Lauren Mills, crossed the plate on a pass ball to score the first run. Buck doubled and then scored on Bailey Urban's RBI single up the middle. A bases loaded walk for Neleigh Herring added the third run of the frame.
The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third thanks to a six-run inning. Urban started the scoring with a sacrifice fly, immediately followed by an RBI single from McKinney. Wichita State then hit back-to-back home runs coming off the bats of Barnard and Perrigan. Buck's RBI single up the middle capped the big inning.
Urban's first home run of the season led off the bottom of the fourth, and then two batters later Camryn Compton delivered a pinch-hit two-run missile to center.
USF hit a pair of home runs off Hailey Martinez in the top of the fifth to avoid the shutout.
Game two belonged to Corrick. She threw a complete game shutout behind only three hits and 12 strikeouts. McKinney was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, while the rest of the lineup was 1-for-18.
Bailey Lange (16-5) was saddled with her second straight tough loss against USF despite throwing a solid game from the circle. Lange allowed only three runs on four hits, but didn't get any help from the offense.
USF broke a scoreless game in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs and added one more in the top of the sixth.