The league sweep was the second straight for the Black and Gold, as the squad also took three games from Houston at the UCF Softball Complex last weekend. The win also improved UCF’s record to 22-12 on the season and to a C-USA-best 7-1 in league play.
Sophomore Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) and freshmen Arielle Palafox (Lakewood, Calif.) and Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) all tallied two hits for the Knights, with Palafox pacing the offense with two RBI and one run scored. Land scored two runs and stole two bases, while Menendez contributed a RBI and scored a run for the Black and Gold.
Also totaling a pair of RBI in the contest was sophomore Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.), who added one hit and scored a run, and senior Hillary Barrow also posted a hit and scored a pair of runs for the visiting team. Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) recorded a RBI for the Knights as well.
In the circle, senior Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) was on top of her game, firing her third complete-game shutout of the year for the Black and Gold. In five innings of work, the hurler gave up only two hits and struck out four batters.
Cole improved her overall record to 14-6 on the season, while her C-USA record jumped to 4-1 with a pair of victories on the weekend.
The Knights return home Wednesday to face No. 6 Florida at the UCF Softball Complex. The contest is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. and will air live on Bright House Sports Network. The first 100 fans through the gate will receive a free black UCF t-shirt.