The Knights clinch first SpaceU Classic matchup

No. 25 UCF softball kicked off its first game as a ranked team with a 4-1 victory against the Ohio Bobcats on Thursday night at the UCF Softball Complex.

The 25th-ranked Knights (10-3, 0-0 Big 12) opened the SpaceU Classic, facing the Bobcats (7-3, 0-0 MAC) after a 4-2 week, including two wins over SEC programs, including then-No. 10 Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers.

Freshman pitcher/outfielder Hidlie Dempsey set the tone early for the Knights’ defense, throwing five shutout innings and yielding only four hits and one run.

Junior infielder Sierra Humphreys became the offensive driving force for UCF as two doubles to right field permitted sophomore infielder Coco Jaimes and redshirt senior infielder Ashleigh Griffin to score in the first three innings.

The Knight Nation crowd roared after sophomore catcher Beth Damon swung for the fences at the bottom of the fourth, hitting her fourth home run of the 2026 season.

“The home run was amazing,” Damon said in the postgame conference. “It’s always my favorite thing to come celebrate with my teammates after rounding the bases. Obviously we have things to work on, but I thought it was a gritty win and I’m proud of the team that we pulled it out.”

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Isabella Vega kept the defensive pressure after stepping up to the mound and immediately struck out Ohio sophomore infielder Sydney Young at the top of the sixth.

Vega then surrendered her only run of the game when Ohio senior infielder Colleen Bare scored via a sacrifice fly from Ohio senior infielder Shelby Westler.

In the next frame, with two outs and bases loaded, Ohio graduate student pitcher Skipp Miller walked Humphreys while allowing junior infielder/outfielder Samantha Rey to add a fourth run for UCF.

Sophomore utility player Izzy Mertes—determined to continue the Knights’ offense—flew out to center field to close the bottom of the sixth.

As a team, UCF finished ahead on both sides of the field with an overall hitting percentage of .333 and a strike percentage of 60.3, while Ohio followed behind, hitting .250% overall and striking at 50.4%.

Dempsey delivered a strong performance after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings with a 2.95 ERA, alongside Humphreys, who achieved a three-RBI on two hits.

Even after a win, UCF softball head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said the Knights need to play more confidently and against their best selves as they progress through the weekend.

“I’m looking for the team to be more steady tomorrow,” Ball-Malone said in the postgame conference. “A couple of baserunning mistakes in the first inning, and then the situational hitting as well. We can play better defense, but I’m proud of our team for getting the win.”

UCF continues the SpaceU Classic with a rematch against Ohio at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) at 7:30 p.m. at the UCF Softball Complex.