ORLANDO — Visiting Oklahoma State (27-15, 8-8 Big 12) led for a total of three innings over the three games, but it was good enough to give the No. 21 ranked Cowgirls a 2-1 game victory over UCF (26-20-1, 7-11 Big 12) at the UCF Softball Complex.
After six scoreless innings in the opener on Thursday, OK State took advantage of an error to score seven run in the top of the seventh inning and blank the Knights, 7-0.
UCF was held to only one hit and two base runners, but stayed in the game behind good defense and strong pitching from Isabella Vega, Yessenia Lopez, Macy Miles and Katelyn Cochran.
The Black and Gold got vengeance on Friday, plating nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and holding on for a 12-6 series-evening victory.
Aubrey Evans highlighted the big inning with a grand slam and finished the day 2-for-3 with four RBI and a run scored. Ashleigh Griffin drove in a pair of runs, while Sierra Humphreys and Kendall Yarnell both scored two runs.
Kaitlyn Felton didn’t have her best stuff, allowing six run on 11 hits, with four walks and a hit batter to go with five strikeouts, but it was good enough for her to get her 11th victory of the season.
Saturday’s rubber match saw another pitcher’s duel the Cowgirls’ Ruby Meylan (17-6), who also went a complete game to get the win on Thursday, and Lopez of the Knights.
UCF broke through in the second when Samantha Rey drew a leadoff walk and scored two outs later on an RBI single to right center by Evans that the OSU centerfielder missed a diving attempt.
Lopez, meanwhile, was outstanding in the circle, holding the guests without a hit for five innings.
But after a leadoff walk in the sixth, Felton (11-4) came on and a gave up a 2-run home run to Amanda Hassler, giving the Cowgirls a 2-1 lead.
The Knights had the answer in the bottom of the sixth, however, as Izzy Mertes launched a bomb deep over the left center field fence to tie the contest at 2-2.
The score remained tied until the eighth, when Hassler again hit a 2-run homer, following a walk, to put the Cowgirls up 4-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, Griffin drew a walk ahead of an RBI double to left center by Mertes, but the 25tying run was left stranded on a short fly to right, a ground out and a strike out.
Up Next:
UCF is in DeLand tonight (Wednesday) to face Stetson at 6 p.m. at Patricia Wilson Field before returning to the UCF Softball Complex for the final time this season to host Houston in Big 12 series on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.). All of the games will be streamed on ESPN+.
