ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (11-20, 5-1 ASUN) took a late lead, but was unable to hold off (RV) UCF (25-10, 3-6 Big 12), and fell 3-2 to the Knights in extra innings on Wednesday in Orlando.
 
Kiki Daniels crushed her sixth home run of the year to left field with Sietske Drijvers on first base to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning. The bottom half of the sixth and top half of the seventh went quickly before UCF got runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh and manufactured a run off of a caught stealing.
 
In the bottom half of the eighth inning, the Knights got a runner on first before Ashleigh Griffin hit a game-winning RBI double.

Earlier in the contest, UCF scored the first run of the game in the third inning on a RBI single from Beth Damon.

FGCU had traffic on the basepaths throughout the early innings thanks to five walks, including a pair each from Parris Wiggs and Nikki Gibson, but didn't turn it into runs until Daniels' sixth-inning long ball off of Isabella Vega (9-4).

Victoria Ash and Julia Bacoulis combined for a quality outing in the circle for the Eagles despite the loss. Ash gave up only one run in three innings pitched and Bacoulis (5-9) allowed just three hits in 4.1 innings.

UCF was led by Griffin, who went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and the game-winning RBI double.
 
Next, FGCU returns home to face North Florida (26-11, 1-5) in a conference series beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 28.
 
2026 softball mini plans and single game tickets are on sale at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/SB. 
 
For more information on FGCU Softball, follow @FGCUSoftball on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.
 
FGCU GIVE DAY 2026 LAUNCHED MARCH 25 AT NOON 

FGCU's annual Give Day – a 24-hour fundraising effort designed to support student-athletes, the 15 Division I sport programs and key priorities across FGCU athletics – launched at Noon on March 25.

Help support Your Hometown Team by making your gift during the 24-hour campaign (or anytime leading up to that 24-hour span) by visiting the FGCU Athletics 2026 Give Day webpage here. 
 
Postgame Notes
– Drijvers caught three runners stealing in the game to improve her season total to eight
– Daniels had a multi-hit and multi-RBI game behind her two-run homer
– Daniels' home run was her sixth of the year
– Drijvers extended her on-base streak to 10 games
– Wiggs and Gibson each walked twice
– The loss was FGCU's first in extra innings in 2026; the Eagles are now 3-1 when games go past seven innings
– UCF now leads the all-time series 15-1
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