• Final stats

ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF Knights jumped and cheered around home plate in the sixth inning, as the hero of the night rounded third. When Kyra Klarkowki’s bat hit the ball, Knights pitcher Alea White knew it was gone.

“I knew it was gone right off the bat,” White said after the game. “I was like, ‘We have to go get that. It’s out.’”

UCF (19-12, 1-0 in American Athletic Conference) opened conference play with a 1-0 win over the University of Tulsa (19-12, 0-1 AAC) Friday night at the UCF Softball Complex in front of 381 spectators.

After pitching in both games of a double-header on March 21, White (14-7) returned to the mound, pitching two strikeouts in 7.0 innings. White allowed four hits and walked two batters.

“I thought we did a fantastic job. Alea on the mound just doing her job, getting those ground-ball outs, getting the outs that we needed,” UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said after the game.

Tulsa started senior Emily Watson (11-5), as she lasted 6.0 innings and struck out 10 batters. She allowed one hit, one run and walked no batters.

The difference in the game came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Klarkowski’s solo homer was her first home run of the year.

“I was just thinking, ‘Hit the screwball.’ That’s literally what I was thinking,” Klarkowski said after the win. “If it’s fast and it’s in, I’m gonna swing at it.”

The Golden Hurricane got off to a quick start when lead-off hitter Julia Hollingsworth singled past the third baseman in the first inning. Then, second baseman Morgan Neal advanced Hollingsworth to second with a single up the middle.

Both base runners advanced when UCF first baseman Jazmine Esparza elected to tag out the runner headed for first. With two on base and only one out, White struck out the next batter, and Tulsa first baseman Tori Stafford sent a fly ball to third baseman Courtney Rotton to end the top of the first.

White and the Knights prevented hits from turning into runs in the second inning, as well. After Tulsa started the second with a single and a walk, the Golden Hurricane, once again, had two on base with no outs. White’s pitching and fielding helped to record the final three outs, though, and the game remained 0-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning.

“Well, we’ve prepared all week for what they have,” White said. “So, I knew they were gonna come out hitting, so I just needed to trust my defense and trust what I had, and we got out of it.”

Klarkowski and fellow outfielder Denali Schappacher shined in the third and fourth innings. Both outfielders made runs to the warning tracks to prevent hitters from reaching base.

“I was just running,” Klarkowski said with a laugh. “I was just running for it, and I knew that [Megan Greenwell] or I were gonna catch it, and I realized I was gonna get to it before she was. So, I called her off at the last second.”

Who’s Next?

The Knights get right back to action at the UCF Softball Complex for Game 2 of a three-game home series against Tulsa Saturday at 2 p.m.

For more on the Knights, as they look to keep their conference record perfect, follow Tommy Cardinal on Twitter at @NDR_TomCardinal.