UCF Edges ECU 4-3 In Regular Season Finale

ORLANDO, Fla. – A late ECU rally Sunday came up just short Sunday as UCF completed the American Athletic Conference series sweep with a 4-3 victory at the UCF Softball Complex. The contest marked the conclusion of the 2018 regular season.

Team Records

ECU: 23-31, 8-13 AAC

UCF: 34-21, 12-9 AAC

How it Happened

A pair of doubles allowed UCF to grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before redshirt senior Alex Mycek belted a solo home run to left field on the first pitch of the top of the second to knot the score. Things remained tied up until the bottom of the fifth when the Knights pushed across three runs on four hits and a costly ECU error. The Pirates attempted to rally in the top of the seventh when Mycek went yard for the second time to cut the UCF lead to 4-2 with one out. Sophomore Olivia Narron later singled to left field and moved to second on a groundout before scoring on a RBI single off the bat of freshman Ashleigh Inae to make the score 4-3. Senior Meredith Burroughs followed by drawing a walk but the comeback was cut short as a strikeout ended the game.

Pitchers of Record

WP – Alea White (25-14)

LP – Erin Poepping (13-15)

Top ECU Performers

Alex Mycek: 2-for-2, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, Walk, 2 HR

Ashleigh Inae: 1-for-4, RBI

Olivia Narron: 1-for-3, Run, SB

Top UCF Performers

Brooke Barlow: 2-for-3, Run, RBI

Kyra Klarkowski: 2-for-2, Run, RBI, 2B, 2 Walks

Cassady Brewer: 1-for-2, Run, 2B, 2 Walks

Things To Note

ECU dropped to 20-20 all-time against UCF.

The Pirates ended the regular season with a 5-10 record in true road games.

ECU won eight games in league play, marking the most conference victories for the Purple and Gold since joining the American Conference prior to the 2015 campaign.

Up Next: The Pirates will be the No. 7 seed for the American Athletic Conference tournament which is scheduled for May 11-13 at the USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Fla. ECU will learn its first round opponent and game time following Sunday’s slate of league contests.