UCF rallies in closing frames for the win

Courtesy of UCF AA

The No. 17 UCF softball team’s late-game rally led to clinching a 4-1 victory against the North Florida Ospreys on Wednesday night at the UCF Softball Complex.

This triumph marks the most wins in a single season for the program since joining the Big 12 Conference, and they remain undefeated against in-state schools this season at 6-0 for the Knights (36-12-1, 12-8-1 Big 12).

“Kudos to UNF, they’re a good team, and it’s so amazing to be in the state of Florida with the quality of competition that we have and the midweek games we can play against good teams,” head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said in the postgame press conference.

North Florida (33-17, 8-10 ASUN) opened the scoring in the first frame, though UCF rallied after an RBI double from sophomore utility player Izzy Mertes led two of the Black and Gold to home plate in the bottom of the fifth.

Sophomore infielder Coco Jaimes and outfielder Zoe Calvez continued the momentum in the next frame with RBI singles to gain a 4-1 advantage.

Senior pitcher Lena Elkins closed the matchup to clinch UCF’s victory, relieving freshman right-hander Tori Payne from the circle, who tossed a personal single-game career high of five innings, recording a strikeout while yielding two hits and a run. 

“Just from the first inning, it was key for me to trust in my defense behind me and let them work,” Payne said in the postgame press conference. “Our senior pitchers lead the way for our freshman class, as well as [redshirt sophomore] Isabella Vega. That leadership helps us have confidence when we go out and pitch.”

Mertes led the Knights’ offensive front, going 1-for-3 with 2RBIs, alongside Calvez hitting 1-for-2 and an RBI.

UCF heads to Gainesville to face the 5th-ranked Florida Gators (43-7, 16-5  SEC) at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Katie Seashole Complex.