Softball On SI

UCF Softball Stuns Stetson with Record Comeback, Slugs 8 Home Runs

UCF softball made history Wednesday night, launching a program-record eight home runs and erasing an 11-run deficit to defeat Stetson 14-13 in a thrilling comeback win.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
UCF softball slugged eight home runs against Stetson to come back and win 14-13 on April 23, 2025.
UCF softball slugged eight home runs against Stetson to come back and win 14-13 on April 23, 2025. | UCF Athletics

The Central Florida Knights got punched in the mouth in the first inning against Stetson on Wednesday night.

Before UCF could get out of the opening frame, the Hatters led 11-0.

We’re in a situation where we can’t just put the ball in play,” said UCF head coach Cindy Ball-Malone.

“We need to swing big.”

The Knights responded to Ball-Malone with a historic offensive outburst, rewriting the program's history books by hitting eight home runs and erasing an 11-run deficit to win 14-13.

UCF scored at least six runs in two innings and cranked out 17 hits, marking its highest single-game hit total since its 25-hit barrage against the Badgers Feb. 16, 2024.

“I knew they were capable of scoring runs like that, but to do it in that fashion, it’s tough to do," Ball-Malone added. "Stetson is always feisty when we play them, they’re tough. To see us do what they did and stay together, it was big for us.”

The Knights scored six runs on five homers in the top of the third inning to cut the deficit to 11-6. Aubrey Evans got the Knights on the board with the first home run of the contest and Sierra Humpreys immediately followed to make the score 11-2.

Izzy Mertes hit a two-run shot, driving in Stormy Kotzelnick who singled, Kiley Stott hit her first career homer and then Samantha Rey capped the inning with another long ball.

Stetson added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, but UCF got them right back, two of its own, at the top of the fifth, including Mertes' second home run of the contest.

The Knights completed their comeback with six more run in the top of the seventh.

With two strikes against her, Ashleigh Griffin gave UCF its first lead with the team's eighth home run of the night.

“It was a team win and it felt great doing it, but none of those runs would have happened without everyone’s contributions," Griffin said. "As long as we have one out, we’re fighting until the end.”

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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