Kansas softball lost the second game of its three-game series against the University of Central Florida on April 18, with a final score of 9-2 at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando.
The outcome gives Kansas a season record of 29-15, while UCF improved to 35-11-1. The third and final game of the series is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. Central Time and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Anna Soles led Kansas offensively by recording her thirteenth multi-hit game this season and hitting her ninth home run. Despite her efforts, UCF took control in the third inning with four runs, including a solo home run from Aubrey Evans and key hits from Sierra Humphreys and Ashleigh Griffin that extended their lead to 5-1.
Kansas responded early when Ava Wallace drove in Kadence Stafford to tie the score at one in the second inning. In the fourth, Soles hit a home run to narrow UCF’s lead to three runs. However, Kansas could not capitalize further as they left runners on base during subsequent innings.
UCF secured its win with additional runs in the fifth inning—a two-run homer by Kendall Yarnell followed by RBI contributions from Macy Miles and Zoe Calvez—bringing their total to nine runs. Both teams were held scoreless over the final two innings.
Ava Stuewe earned her sixth win for UCF after pitching four-and-a-third innings, while Blakely Barber took her third loss for Kansas after pitching just over two innings. Lena Elkins recorded her first save for UCF.
Ella Boyer contributed defensively for Kansas by catching two runners stealing bases during the game. Presley Limbaugh reached base safely for an eighth consecutive game following a walk in the first inning. With Soles’ performance, she now has hits in nine out of her last ten games—the third highest home run tally on her team this season.
