One Replay Review Helped Change the Outcome in Florida State Softball Upset

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR SOFTBALLONSI

Credit: UCF Athletics

Without Taylor Kittleman’s eye, UCF may not have advanced to its second Super Regional appearance in program history. 

While the Knights were up by one run against No.9 Florida State in the third inning with two outs, Shelby McKenzie knocked a single off UCF’s pitcher Tori Payne. The ball made its way to center field, and the throw home was cut off before it could get the runner at home. This cleared the bases and allowed Florida State to take a 4-2 lead. 

But from the dugout, redshirt sophomore Kittleman noticed FSU’s runner Anne Hide left second base before the ball left Payne’s hand. She motioned for head coach Cindy Ball-Malone to challenge, which prompted a video review. 

The video review confirmed that Hide indeed left early, forcing all three runs to be wiped from the scoreboard, and UCF stayed ahead heading into the bottom of the third inning. 

“(Taylor) saw it,” Ball-Malone said in the post-game press conference. We have a sign in our dugout that says everyone is a starter in the game in some way. She saw it, and we went with it, before we went with anything else we were going to talk about in that play. What an incredible moment for her.”

That call completely cut the Seminoles' momentum and only put more fire into UCF’s bats. 

Florida State tacked on the tying run in the fourth inning, but Izzy Mertes fired back with a two-run home run to retake the lead and the eventual upset win over the Regional host. Freshman Payne went on to be exquisite on the mound, allowing just one run on four hits through six innings. 

This upset from the Knights marked one of the biggest wins, if not the biggest win, in program history. After going undefeated against Jacksonville State and Stetson, they dropped game one against Florida State 2-1. In the do-or-die final matchup, it’s tough to say what the outcome would have been if it weren’t for Kittleman. 

The Knights will now head to Westwood and face UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional. 

“This will be our second trip to Super Regionals,” Ball-Malone said in the post-game press confernce. “We 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’s what we’ve been saying that we were going to do, so we knew we had everyone behind us.”