May 18, 2008

HOUSTON 2, WASHINGTON 1
Houston advanced to the program's first ever NCAA Softball Super Regional Sunday with a 2-1 win over Washington in the Houston Regional Final at Cougar Softball Stadium.

Houston (53-9) won its third straight game and allowed only one run in regional competition. Washington closes its season 30-25-1.

The Cougars advance to the Super Regional round for the first time in program history. Last season, UH advanced to the College Station Regional Final, but fell to Texas A&M.

Houston, the No. 8 National Seed, will play host to either Lousiana Lafayette or LSU next weekend at Cougar Softball Stadium. Game dates and times for the best-of-three series will be announced later Sunday night.

The winner of the Super Regional will advance to the 2008 Women's College World Series, set to take place from May 28-June 4 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Cougars were led by junior Haley Valis. Valis hit a home run over center field in the fifth inning to give Houston the early 1-0 lead. The home run is her 10th on the year, making her the fourth Cougar to reach double-digit home runs this season.

Houston loaded the bases in the sixth inning and junior Katie Bush scored the Cougars second run after a walk by junior Laurie Wagner.

The Huskies avoided a shutout when Morgan Stuart hit a home run over center field in the top of the seventh inning.

Angel Shamblin pitched the complete game moving to 35-3 in the circle. She allowed two hits and one run, while striking out seven.

In three Regional contests, Shamblin went 3-0, giving up three hits one run while notching 23 strikeouts with a 0.37 ERA.

No. 1 FLORIDA 10, UCF 0
Following a 1-0 upset over No. 1 Florida in the first of two games in the NCAA Gainesville Regional, the UCF softball team fell to the Gators, 10-0, in five innings Sunday afternoon in game two at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium. Freshman Abby McClain posted the Knights' only hit of the contest in the third inning.

Senior Allison Kime received a standing ovation from the crowd when Ashleigh Cole entered the game in relief in the fourth inning. The hurler threw 28.1 innings throughout the tournament, starting all five games the Black and Gold competed in, registering 16 strikeouts and a 3-2 record in the event.

Kime was tagged with the loss in the contest, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings of work, she finished the 2008 season with a 33-12 record, which were the most wins for a pitcher in program history for a season. The hurler concludes her sparkling three-year career holding almost every career and single-season pitching record in the book.

Cole finished the game for UCF in the circle, holding the Gators scoreless while allowing only one run in 0.2 innings pitched.

Florida did not waste time scoring runs in game two, posting three in the first inning on four-straight hits and a pair of UCF errors and another run in the second frame, with lead-off hitter Kim Waleszonia knocking a home run over the right centerfield fence.

Waleszonia's second home run of the contest, a three-run shot to dead centerfield, three singles and a throwing error by the Knights allowed six runs to cross in the fourth inning, handing the Knights a 10-run deficit going into the fifth inning.

UCF 1, No. 1 FLORIDA 0
Alison Kime put together an amazing all-around performance Sunday afternoon, hitting a walk-off grounder and throwing a five-hit shutout in the circle to stun No. 1 Florida in the NCAA Gainesville Regional final and force a second game to determine the Regional winner.

With the win the Black and Gold improved to 49-19 on the season and broke the Gators' 36-game winning streak and their 41-game winning streak at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium, handing Florida only its third loss of 2008.

Five different Knights posted a hit in the game, with Tiffany Lane scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Kime tossed her 14th shutout of the season in the victory and improved her record to 33-11.

Florida threatened to score in the third inning, loading the bases with two outs and its No. 3 hitter Ali Gardiner at the plate. But Kime picked up her first strikeout of the game, catching Gardiner swinging, to end the potential threat.

In the bottom half of the frame, Breanne Javier led off the inning with a single up the middle of the infield and moved into scoring position on a putout, but the junior was stranded at the top of the diamond to end the inning.

The Knights worked their way out of another bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, doubling up Megan Bush on a line drive to third base.

In the bottom of the inning, the Black and Gold placed another runner in scoring position, with Hillary Barrow reaching on an error by the Gator shortstop and stealing second base on the first pitch to Kime. But, a fly-out to centerfield ended the frame, leaving the game scoreless through six.

UCF kept getting out of jams, living through the third of the game with runners on second and third in the seventh inning. A nice play on a grounder to Lane got Aja Paculba out at first base for out No. 3.

The Knights had the chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after Cat Snapp hit a one-out single and advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt by Lexi Gresham. But Nelson got Abby McClain to ground out to third base to send the contest into extra innings.

The Cinderella story continued in the bottom of the eighth inning with Lane and Marquita Council reaching base on back-to-back singles, before advancing a base on a sacrifice bunt by Javier. With runners on second and third and two outs, Kime hit a grounder up the middle that the second baseman could not handle, scoring Lane and winning the game for the Knights.