TULSA, Oklahoma – Karissa Ornelas’ solo home run in the top of the fourth inning stood up as the gamewinner and Gianna Mancha worked four shutout innings of one-hit relief to lead UCF to a 3-2 win against USF Friday afternoon in a semifinal game of the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
The win sends the Knights (39-16-1) to the championship final for the first time since 2015, when UCF topped Tulsa for its first American title. It will be the third appearance in the final for UCF, which also played for the championship in 2014.