{"id":1027,"date":"2026-05-18T16:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1027"},"modified":"2026-05-18T16:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:34:12","slug":"ucf-softball-breaks-through-into-the-ncaa-super-regional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1027","title":{"rendered":"UCF softball breaks through into the NCAA Super Regional"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

The Los Angeles Lakers had their battles with the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Bulls faced off against the Detroit Pistons.<\/p>\n

The Boston Red Sox struggled against the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n

All of these professional sports franchises have faced intense rivalries during postseason runs before ultimately overcoming them.<\/p>\n

Read more New Orleans Pelicans hiring former Magic coach Jamahl Mosley<\/a><\/p>\n

UCF softball experienced a similar struggle against Florida State, losing seven consecutive NCAA Tournament games before finally breaking through on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Knights upset the No. 9 Seminoles, 4-2 in Game 7 of the Tallahassee Regional, advancing to the Super Regional for just the second time in program history.<\/p>\n

Sixth-seeded UCF (41-17-1) will travel to Los Angeles to face second-seeded UCLA (50-8) in the double-elimination series beginning on Friday.<\/p>\n

The emotions of the moment were clearly on the surface for coach Cindy Ball-Malone.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis will be our second trip to Super Regionals,\u201d said Ball-Malone. \u201cWe played this game for us for sure, but this is for every Knight that has ever worn a jersey. We broke through, we pushed through, we disrupted the norm and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been saying that we were going to do, so we knew we had everyone behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catcher Beth Damon and left fielder Izzy Mertes powered UCF past the Seminoles with a pair of 2-run home runs. Damon\u2019s blast set the tone in the first inning, while Mertes\u2019 shot helped the Knights retake the lead in the fourth inning.<\/p>\n

Freshman pitcher Tori Payne (4-0) allowed one run on four hits through six innings on her way to the win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pitched like we had nothing left to lose,\u201d said Payne, who made her second start of the regionals on Sunday. \u201cI\u2019m willing to give everything and more for this team. I\u2019m willing to do what I can to help us push forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

After a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Jacksonville State in the opener on Friday, UCF cruised into Sunday\u2019s finals with an impressive 10-1 win over Stetson on Saturday. The Hatters stunned FSU in the opener, 8-3, sending the Seminoles into the elimination bracket.<\/p>\n

Read more Florida, Texas Tech set for star-studded Super Regional showdown<\/a><\/p>\n

Florida State eliminated JSU (11-0) and Stetson (11-3) on Saturday, setting up a familiar matchup for the finals.<\/p>\n

FSU forced a Game 7 with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Knights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a tough team to beat, so we knew it would be down to the wire,\u201d Payne said of the message after the early loss. \u201cWe have to play our best game and they\u2019re also going to have to play ours, so just going out there and giving it all we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Damon\u2019s 2-run homer in the first, FSU scored its first run of the game on an RBI single by catcher Anne Hinde in the third inning. A few plays later, Hinde was called out after leaving second base early, erasing three runs off the scoreboard for the Seminoles.<\/p>\n

Mertes\u2019 homer in the fourth inning provided the Knights with a 4-2 advantage.<\/p>\n

Reliever Lena Elkins and Reagan Vokoun combined to shut down Florida State in the final inning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say our mindset going into this regional was anything could happen, we just have to stick together and it\u2019s going to be what it\u2019s going to be,\u201d said Mertes.<\/p>\n

Ball-Malone talked about the emotions she felt, particularly leading into Sunday\u2019s finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the treadmill, getting it all out, crying, screaming, yelling because I knew that this moment was for everybody that wore this jersey, and we played for the past, present, and future. It\u2019s still just an idea, but these women paved the way and put it out there. I\u2019m just so incredibly proud of them; they\u2019re building history and we\u2019re not done yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up next \u2026<\/h3>\n

UCF (41-17-1) at UCLA (51-7)<\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> 9 p.m., Friday; 9 p.m., Saturday; Sunday, if necessary<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> Easton Stadium, Los Angeles<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> ESPNU (Friday), ESPN (Saturday)<\/p>\n

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel\u2019s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Florida women complete rare SEC triple crown under coach Mike Holloway<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Knights defeated Florida State for the first time in eight postseason tries to earn a shot to face UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nUCF softball breaks through into the NCAA Super Regional - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1027\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UCF softball breaks through into the NCAA Super Regional - 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