Saturday, May 20
Florida State 5, UCF 1 - Box Score
South Carolina 10, UCF 1 - Box Score
Oklahoma State 6, Wichita State 0 - Box Score
Nebraska 9, Wichita State 8 (9 inn.) - Box Score
Recaps
Florida State 5, UCF 1 - Box Score
South Carolina 10, UCF 1 - Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The UCF Knights saw its season come to an end on Saturday in the semifinals of the NCAA Talahassee Regional. The Knights dropped games to Florida State (6-1) and South Carolina (10-1).
Game 1 vs Florida State
The scoring stood still against the host Seminoles until the third inning when Chloe Evans was able to drove in Johneisha Rowe with an RBI single up the middle.
The Semioles answered back in the fourth winning with a ground out to second, scoring a runner that was on third base. The regional host took the lead in the fifth inning, scoring two runs off a fielder's choice, which turned into an error off an errant throw by the Knights.
Florida State added two more runs in the seventh inning as insurance runs beginning with a doulbe to center field, before another error allowed the final run to cross home plate.
Sarah Willis (L, 19-4) allaowed two earned runs in 4.1 innings of work in the circle. Angelina De'Voe (1.2 IP) and Grace Jewell (1.0 IP) tossed the final frames in the game, with DeVoe allowing the final two runs off two hits, while Jewell had one shutout frame.
Game 2 vs South Carolina
It was all South Carolina in what turned out ot be the final game of the season for the Knights. The Gamecocks started the scoring in the second inning with a stolen base at home plate.
The fifth inning saw five more runs cross home plate as the Gamecocks took a commanding lead.
In the seventh innings, the Gamecocks added another five runs before UCF was able to add a sac fly in the bottom of the inning to score their lone run off an Olivia Elliott fly ball to left field.
Kaitlyn Felton (L, 6-6) took the loss for the Knights, allowing two earned runs off 4.1 innings in the circle. Grace Jewell (0.1 IP), Angelina Devoe (0.0 IP) and Sarah Willis (2.1 IP) finished the game for the Knights. Jewell allowed two earned runs off one hit, while Willis allowed four earned runs off three hits.
Oklahoma State 6, Wichita State 0 - Box Score
Nebraska 9, Wichita State 8 (9 inn.) - Box Score
STILLWATER, Okla. – No. 21 Wichita State saw one of the best seasons in school history come to a close one game shy of the NCAA Stillwater Regional final. The Shockers dropped games to No. 6 Oklahoma State (6-0) and Nebraska (9-8) in nine innings.
Wichita State (44-12) came up two wins shy of the school mark for victories set in 2005 with 46. The Shockers made their third straight NCAA regional appearance and were ranked inside the Top 20 for the first time in program history.
Seniors Sydney McKinney, Zoe Jones and Lauren Mills played the final game of their collegiate careers. McKinney departs Wichita State as the greatest softball player to ever put on the Black & Yellow, and possibly one of the greatest hitters in NCAA history.
Game 1 vs. Oklahoma State
Krystin Nelson had two of Wichita State's five hits. Zoe Jones, Sami Hood and Bailey Urban all had a hit apiece.
Alex Aguilar (15-3) allowed four runs on five hits in the start and Alison Cooper came out of the bullpen to throw 2.0 innings of relief.
Oklahoma State manufactured a run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the first following a Rachel Becker leadoff double.
After scoreless second and third innings, Oklahoma State extended its lead in the fourth behind three runs on four hits.
Wichita State threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases on singles from Hood and Nelson and a Taylor Sedlacek walk, but for the second time McKinney was robbed of a hit by the third baseman, snagging a screaming line drive to end the inning.
The Cowgirls tacked on an insurance run in the fifth and sixth to go up 6-0.
Game 2 vs. Nebraska
In what turned out to be the final game of McKinney's illustrious career, the All-American went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Lauren Mills broke out of a slump with two home runs, a double and three RBI.
Lauren Lucas drove in a pair of runs to go with a double, Krystin Nelson homered, Addison Barnard had an RBI double and Sami Hood singled to round out the Shocker hitters.
Following a McKinney leadoff double, Addison Barnard sac bunt and a Nebraska wild pitch, Wichita State grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
In the top of the second, Mills unleashed a month and a half's worth of frustration on a 1-0 pitch. The senior crushed a solo home run over the batter's eye in center to put the Shockers in front, 2-0. Mills hadn't hit a home run since March 25 at UCF.
After Nebraska cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third behind a double and RBI single, Mills went back to work in the top of the fourth. She launched her second homer of the night, this one a laser to right.
Again, the Huskers came back with a run to make it 3-2 on an RBI groundout in the home half of the fourth. Just like Nebraska, Wichita State had its own response in the way of a leadoff solo home run from Nelson in the top of the fifth. It marked Nelson's first homer of the season and only second of her career.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, a solo home run cut it to 4-3. Looking for some insurance runs in the top of the seventh, Wichita State got two on Barnard's RBI double and Lucas' RBI groundout.
Needing only three outs, Wichita State went into the bottom of the seventh leading 6-3. Sandwiched in between two groundouts, a double kept the Huskers hopes alive. They would proceed to hit a two-run home run and an RBI single to tie the game at 6-6, sending the game to extras.
Both teams would put multiple baserunners on in the eighth, but neither team scored any runs.
The ninth inning would open with a McKinney single and immediately turn into a run on Lucas' RBI double down the left field line. After a Jones single, Mills put the Shockers up 8-6 on an RBI double.
Down to their final three outs, the Huskers punched back with a leadoff home run. Following a groundout, Nebraska tied the game at 8-8 after a single, walk and double. With two in scoring position, Katelyn Caneda walked it off on a grounder to second, as the runner on third beat the throw from Hood at second.