ORLANDO, May 3, 2015 – USF got another strong outing from senior pitcher Sam Greiner but couldn't hold off a late surge by the 15^th ranked Knights in the regular-season finale, falling 6-1 at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando on Sunday afternoon.

Greiner allowed only one run on four hits in four innings of work but was stuck with the loss and fell to 8-5 on the season. UCF (46-7, 16-2 The American) scored all six of its runs in the fifth and sixth innings to seize control of the game and win the series.

It looked like the Bulls (35-19, 6-10 The American) were primed to take an early lead with runners on second and third and only one out in the top of the second, but a strikeout and a pop up ended the threat.

After four and a half scoreless innings, the Knights finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth with three runs. Back-to-back singles by Willow Kalinen and Maddy Schroeder started the inning before Linnea Goodman put down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners into scoring position. A passed ball in the next at-bat allowed Kalinen to score from third and Farrah Sullivan doubled later in the inning to plate two more runs to give UCF a 3-0 lead.

Juli Weber broke up a no-hitter for Knights' starter Mackenzie Audas with a leadoff double in the sixth inning. Weber came around to score later in the inning on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to two and negate the shutout.

UCF got that run right back in the bottom of the sixth, however, when Kalyn Cenal hit her second home run of the series to lead off the inning. The Knights added two more runs in the inning on an RBI triple by Kahley Novak to increase the lead to 6-1.

USF had runners reach first and third after a walk and an error in the seventh but left them stranded there to end the game.

The Bulls begin postseason play next week as they head back to Orlando for the American Athletic Conference Tournament on May 7-9. USF will be the No. 5 seed and face No. 4 seed East Carolina in the first round on Thursday at 4 p.m.

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 14^th season with 40 plus wins under head coach Ken Eriksen.

- #GoBulls –