TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a mid-week matchup of intrastate opponents, No. 7 Florida State (39-5) got the better of UCF (31-17) on Tuesday night as the Seminoles defeated the Knights, 7-1, at JoAnne Graf Field. Junior second baseman Ellie Cooper was 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in the win.
“The offense’s confidence in doing their job right now is amazing to see,” said FSU head coach Lonni Alameda. “And yes, there has been some good pitching performances in the circle. But you know with pitching, hitting and defense – you have to have it all. The way they are selling out in their at bats and making sure they execute what they need to for their team has been awesome.”
The Noles used a five-run second inning to jump out to an early lead on the Knights. Walks by Zoe Casas and Morgan Klaevemann, along with a single by Cali Harrod loaded the bases with two outs for Cooper. Cooper hit the first grand slam of her career down the right field line to give Florida State a 4-0 lead.
Jessica Warren followed with a double to left and came in to score on an RBI single up the middle by Alex Powers.
UCF got a run back in the top of the fourth as Jessica Ujvari hit a two-out double off FSU starter Meghan King for the Knight’s second hit of the game. Cassady Brewer brought her in on an RBI single to center to cut the lead to 5-1.
King allowed the first two UCF batters to reach base in the sixth on a walk by Linnea Goodman and a single by Brittany Solis, ending her outing in the circle. Jessica Burroughs entered the game in relief and struck out the first two batters she faced before allowing a walk to Brewer load the bases.
Burroughs ended the inning with another strikeout, sending down Samantha McCloskey to leave the bases loaded with Knights.
King (17-2) took the win and after scattering four hits in 5.0 innings, allowing just one run with one walk and two strikeouts.
Florida State extended the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run home run by Warren, her 13th of the season. She drove in Cooper who reached earlier on an infield single.
Burroughs closed out the game, tossing a perfect seventh inning to earn her first save of the season and fifth of her career. The junior pitcher recorded four strikeouts in 2.0 shutout innings, giving up just one walk.
The Seminoles will hit the road this weekend for an ACC series at Pitt on April 30-May 1. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 12:00 p.m. with Sunday’s finale beginning at 11:00 a.m. All three games of the series will be broadcast on Seminole Softball Radio, a free live streaming service through Seminoles.com. Robin Ahrberg and Ryann Day will be on the call, while live stats can also be found online at Seminoles.com.
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