TULSA, Okla. – Denali Schappacher’s two-run double off the leftfield wall in the bottom of the fourth inning put UCF on top for good as the No. 3-seeded Knights took a 4-3 win against No. 6-seeded East Carolina Thursday morning in the opening game of the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
 
UCF advances to face the winner of Thursday’s second first-round game between Memphis and USF. Friday’s semifinal will be at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN+.
 
Schappacher’s one-out double with the bases loaded came with the Knights trailing 2-1 and was the big hit in a fourth inning that saw UCF (38-16-1) score three runs. Jada Cody followed Schappacher’s double with a sacrifice fly that brought in Allyse Volpe to give the Knights a 4-2 cushion.
 
Cody’s RBI proved to be the difference as the Pirates closed within one on Rachel McCollum’s solo home run to lead off the top of the sixth inning, making it 4-3. But UCF pitcher Alea White retired the next three hitters in order to keep the Knights on top heading into the seventh.
 
East Carolina threatened in the top of the seventh as the Pirates loaded the bases with one out, but UCF reliever Gianna Mancha struck out the final two batters to pick up her fourth save of the season.
 
The Pirates (16-33) had erased UCF’s early 1-0 lead on consecutive pitches in the top of the second inning as Logyn Estes drove an 0-2 offering over the center field fence to tie the game, and Bailey Ledvina took the first pitch she saw for a home run to left, giving the Pirates a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Knights threatened for a big inning in the bottom of the second when Karissa Ornelas led off with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Justene Molina walked and stole second to put runners at second and third, but the Pirates got out of the jam when Ornelas was caught in a rundown between third and home on a grounder to first base, and Woodall got Volpe on a grounder back to the circle.
 
Schappacher went 2-for-4, including the two-run double, while Volpe was 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Knights.
 
White scattered seven hits and allowed three solo home runs with four strikeouts and three walks in improving to 20-6 on the year.
 
East Carolina was led at the plate by McCollum, who went 2-for-4, including one of the Pirates’ three home runs. Kama Woodall went the distance in the circle for the Pirates, allowing nine hits and four runs with two walks.