ORLANDO, May 2, 2015 – The Bulls earned a big win over rival UCF in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader to earn a split with the Knights at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando.
Monica Santos drove in the game-winning run in the top of the seventh as the Bulls picked up their first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 22 of last season when they knocked off No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette.
USF (35-18, 6-9 The American) got great performances in both games from its starting pitchers and also got some timely hitting to prevail in Game 2 and hand the Knights (45-7, 15-2 The American) just their second conference loss this season.
GAME 1: No. 15/16 UCF 2, USF 1
USF got a solid performance from starting pitcher Erica Nunn, who allowed two runs on only four hits in 5.1 innings of work to give the Bulls a chance to pull an upset over No. 15 UCF, but it wasn't enough as the Knights escaped with a 2-1 win in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.
The Bulls had their chances but left seven runners on base, including three in scoring position, and had another runner thrown out at home in the fourth inning.
UCF jumped out to an early lead after loading the bases with one out in the first inning. Jessica Ujvari drove in a run on a fielder's choice as Linnea Goodman barely beat Kristen Wyckoff's throw home to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Bulls bounced right back, however, tying the game at one in the top of the second. Monica Santos doubled down the left-field line and came around to score one batter later as Veronica Gajownik singled to right field for her 13th RBI of the year.
USF had a golden chance to take the lead in the top of the fourth after loading the bases with nobody out. Karla Claudio led off the inning with a walk, followed by a Lauren Evans' single and another walk by Santos. Unfortunately, the Bulls couldn't take advantage as Kenya Yancy was thrown out at home trying to score on a fly out by Morgan Litchfield to end the threat.
The Bulls had more opportunities to take the lead in the fifth and sixth but left runners on third base both times to end the inning.
The Knights broke the 1-1 tie with a solo home run by Kalyn Cenal to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. It was only the fourth hit of the game for UCF but proved to be the difference as the Bulls went down in order in the seventh inning to end the game.
GAME 2: USF 3, No. 15/16 UCF 2
Monica Santos came up with a clutch RBI double in the top of the seventh inning and the Bulls held on for a 3-2 win over No. 15 UCF in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.
“I took strike one and I looked down at coach and I just knew that I had to get it done. I was just relaxed and I just believed that we could do it as a team,” Santos said.
Mia Fung, Juli Weber and Veronica Gajownik all had two hits to help the Bulls earn their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
USF also got another strong pitching performance from senior Sam Greiner, who threw 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed only two hits in a no decision, impressing head coach Ken Eriksen in the process.
“Sammy comes out after traveling from Tampa today because she graduated and gives us 4.2 innings of shutout ball, I mean wow,” Eriksen said.
Some aggressive base running got the Bulls on the board first in Game 2 as Juli Weber stole home in the third inning to make it 1-0. Weber caught Knights' catcher Samantha McCloskey off guard and took off for home as McCloskey was throwing the ball back to pitcher Mackenzie Audas. Weber just beat the tag after Audas tossed the ball back to McCloskey at home plate.
The Bulls added to their lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run to left field by freshman Mia Fung. It was Fung's third homer of the season and just the 12th home run given up by the Knights this year.
Fung nearly picked up her third hit of the game in the fifth but was robbed on a diving catch in right field by Willow Kalinen with the bases loaded and two outs to keep the Knights' deficit at two.
UCF used that momentum to rally for two runs in the bottom of the sixth and tie the game. Brittany Solis led off the inning with a single and came home when Jessica Ujvari doubled to left center. The Knight's knotted things up at two on a sacrifice fly by McCloskey one batter later.
Santos, who was wearing No. 18 instead of her normal No. 13 jersey, helped the Bulls respond immediately with a huge RBI double with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to put USF back ahead, 3-2. D'Anna Devine reached on an error to start the frame and scored what turned out to be the game-winning run on the play.
“I hung up my uniforms in the closet, put my pants on, brushed my teeth and just walked out of the hotel room without my jersey, so I was No. 18 today,” Santos joked after the game.
Karla Claudio allowed a one-out single to Linnea Goodman in the bottom of the seventh but that was all that UCF could muster as the Bulls held on for the win. Claudio pitched the final 2.1 innings and improved to 9-4 on the year.
“You get a stolen base of home plate to spark your team and then get pitching like that … wow. If I'm the rest of the conference I think today was a day that we served notice that this team's not going away,” Eriksen said.
Both the Bulls and Knights conclude their regular seasons in tomorrow's rubber game that is set to begin at noon.
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. The Bulls made their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament last season and posted their 14th season with 40 plus wins under head coach Ken Eriksen.
- #GoBulls –
