The Knights (39-13) fed off the Plant City native as she struck out 11 batters en route to her 21st win of the year. Audas was masterful as she dealt 110 pitches with 81 for strikes while issuing just two walks.

Only three Wildcats (26-26) reached base all game and no runners got beyond second. Audas retired the final 13 hitters of the game and struck out at least one batter in all seven innings. It was the 10th time this season that Audas has racked up double-digit strikeouts in a start.

The performance was the first no hitter thrown by the Knights’ pitching staff this year and the first for the program since Allison Kime on March 25, 2008.

Senior Natalie Land led the game off with a long home run to right-center to give the Audas all the cushion she would need. The long ball was Land’s seventh of the season and fourth to open a game. Land went 3-for-4 with three runs and two stolen bases to increase her batting average to a season-best .341. Land is on a five-game hitting streak and has recorded at least two hits in each of those five games.

The Knights plated insurance runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings. In the second, freshman Kahley hit an infield single and used her speed to force an errant throw into right field that allowed Land to score from second unearned. In the fourth, another Wildcats error, this time off the bat of senior Vanessa Perez, allowed Land to again score unearned to put the Knights up 3-0. Junior Alena Murgatroyd completed the Black and Gold’s scoring with an RBI single to left in the fifth.

The Knights will return to action for their last regular season series of the year on Saturday as they travel to Marshall for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The series will conclude on Sunday at noon.

And minutes after the calm and cool standout pitcher authored a dazzling two-hit, 11-strikeout shutout in 麻豆映画传媒’s historic 2-0 defeat of the No. 3 Gators, Audas uttered what might go down as the understatement of the season.

“This is kind of a big deal,” said Audas, who has evolved into arguably the best freshman pitcher in the country.

Freshman , 麻豆映画传媒’s hottest hitter the past three weeks, doubled in two runs in the first inning and Audas did the rest as 麻豆映画传媒 (30-10) beat Florida (34-5) for the first time ever in Orlando. The Knights’ 10th straight victory this season was their third in school history against the Gators and their first since May 18, 2008, in the NCAA Tournament.

A crowd of 747 fans – the second-largest in school history – packed the 麻豆映画传媒 Softball Complex and was loud from the first pitch. The grounds crew also rolled up two outfield wind screens, allowing a couple hundred more fans to watch the game and add to the electric atmosphere.

“The crowd was amazing. It felt like a football game,” Sullivan said. “Words can’t describe the feeling of this. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

After blanking the third-ranked Gators, the surging Knights have bettered their chances of cracking the top 25 and getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

“It’s our first home win against Florida, and that’s big,” 麻豆映画传媒 head coach said. “Mac (Audas) had a great game, catcher Hayley (Barrow) did a great job calling the game, and we made the plays and got the hits that we needed. It was a one-hit difference in the game, but thankfully it was our turn after 10 years of playing them here.”

The unquestioned star of the night was Audas, the 5-foot-5 right-hander from Plant City who dominated a Florida program that never recruited her. Audas (16-5), who entered the game with the lowest ERA in the country for a freshman, tossed her eighth shutout of the season. Her 11-strikeout performance was the sixth time that she had a double-digit strikeout game.

“She’s had some ups and downs and we’ve talked about how it has to be one pitch at a time and she had to focus on each batter as a separate situation and go hard at them,” Luers-Gillispie said. “I told her that she will always have to tools to strike anybody out. She worked hard on focusing on one pitch at a time. And she didn’t have those ups and downs and stayed very steady.”

A true sign of Audas’ razor-sharp focus on Wednesday night was her ability to summon big pitches in key situations. Six Florida batters reached a full count against Audas, but she struck out three of them and none got hits. The two hits in the game were a line drive to center in the third inning and a bunt single in the sixth.

“In the first inning, it’s Florida and they’re ranked, and I was nervous,” Audas admitted. “I faced UCLA and Washington early in the year, but this was Florida. I was pretty nervous early, but I settled down. I knew I couldn’t give a team like this free bases. So I just kept trying to go right at them all night.”

麻豆映画传媒 finished with just three hits against Florida’s Hannah Rogers (20-3), but the biggest one of the night came in the first inning in a clutch situation. Sullivan doubled down the left-field line to score two runners and put the Knights up 2-0. Senior shortstop started the rally by beating out an infield hit and stealing second. Then, after walked, Sullivan stroked a fastball down the line that got all the way to the wall.

The clutch double was just the latest big hit for Sullivan, who almost single-handedly destroyed UTEP in a three-game sweep last weekend in West Texas. Sullivan had three home runs, two doubles and nine RBI last Friday in a double-header sweep for the Knights.

Wednesday night’s double will go down as one of the most important hits in school history.

“It was an inside pitch, and I had two strikes on me. I feel like that relaxed me. I just saw the ball and hit it,” said Sullivan, a Waynesboro, Miss., native who leads the team in home runs (five), doubles (nine) and RBI (29). “I knew if we got a head start on them that Mackenzie would take care of them. I knew if we got some runs she would come through and take care of business.”

With the Knights (25-10, 6-3 in Conference USA) clinging to a 4-3 lead, the Pirates (15-20, 3-6) had runners on second and third in the seventh inning with two outs. Pinch hitter Rebecca Lee hit a sharp ground ball deep into the hole at shortstop. Land moved to her right, made a diving, backhanded stop and threw to first to beat Lee by a half-step. The play prevented two Pirates runs from scoring, and Land鈥檚 teammates mobbed her in the infield.

麻豆映画传媒 will travel to UTEP for a Conference USA doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and a single game at 1 pm. on Saturday. The series will feature the Knights鈥� top ranked conference pitching staff against a Miners鈥� offense that leads the conference with 44 home runs in 33 games.

The Black and Gold jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning Sunday. With a runner on third base, junior Lauren Aldridge pinch-ran at first after a Farrah Sullivan single. Aldridge then took off for second on the first pitch, and an errant throw into center field allowed the Knights to take a 1-0 lead.

Later in the inning, junior Alena Murgatroyd knocked in Aldridge from third with an RBI single into center. Murgatroyd, wearing a protective mask as she recovers from a broken nose, went 4-for-8 with a walk, a stolen base and three RBI in the series.

Land hit a two-out solo home run to deep left field in the sixth inning to give the Knights a 4-1 advantage. That run would prove to be the difference, as ECU scored twice in the top of the seventh before Land鈥檚 stellar defensive play ended the game.

Senior Ali Schmidt started for the second time in the series and earned her second win in as many days. Schmidt worked herself in and out of jams all afternoon as she scattered nine hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. She benefited from picking up early outs, as most of the Pirates鈥� hits came with two outs.

The sweep concluded a busy week for the Knights, who also defeated North Florida 3-0 on Wednesday. Mackenzie Audas, Alex Hartshorn, Blaire Kelley, Farrah Sullivan and 2011 graduate Abby McClain were announced as recipients of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal, which honors student-athletes who have posted cumulative GPAs of at least 3.75.

Upcoming home games include a sold-out April 11 contest against in-state rival Florida. Season tickets are now $25 and are available online at 麻豆映画传媒Athletics.com and Ticketmaster.com or by calling the 麻豆映画传媒 Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000.

A 麻豆映画传媒 softball player was one of 12 student-athletes awarded for community service by Conference USA.

Natalie Land, who will begin her senior year this fall, was recognized this week with a C-USA Spirit of Service Award for her volunteerism, good academic standing and participation in softball.

Away from the softball diamond, Land enjoys volunteering and spending time with kids 鈥� even when it means getting up early on a Saturday morning to do so.

鈥淭o see their faces light up is totally worth it. It鈥檚 the same kids, and you build relationships over time,鈥� said Land, an athletic training major who has been volunteering since she was a freshman.

Land paired with a local middle school student in a Pen Pal Program, writing back and forth to help promote literacy. She also built confidence in youths with mental and physical disabilities as a volunteer for Miracle League T-ball.

While maintaining a 3.6 GPA, Land has raised money for the Central Florida Children’s Home Golf Classic, Walk Now for Autism Speaks and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Also this year, Land was named to the All-C-USA First Team for the second consecutive year, while also ranking among the nation’s best in triples and stolen bases.

Land also earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District III Team and the C-USA All-Academic Team for the second time in her career.

She is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and a two-time C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal recipient.

Land oversees the community service group for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at 麻豆映画传媒.

In order to be eligible for the recognition, student-athletes must hold a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, be of at least sophomore academic standing and have competed in at least 60 percent of games this season as a starter or key reserve.

McClain is no stranger to earning accolades for her successes on and off of the playing field, as she is making her third-straight appearance on the C-USA All-Academic Team. McClain is also a two-time selection to the Capital One Academic All-District III First Team after being named to the second team as a sophomore in 2009. The catcher holds an impressive 3.80 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is set to graduate with a degree in biology.

The senior has been the recipient of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal for maintaining a 3.75 GPA or better four-consecutive years, while also being a four-time C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member. McClain has also earned a spot on the C-USA All-Academic Team two-straight seasons and was named one of C-USA’s Spring Spirit of Service Award recipients in 2010.

On the field, McClain will conclude her career as a Knight ranked in 麻豆映画传媒’s top-10 in 23 career categories. She has been named to the All-C-USA Second Team in both 2009 and 2010, while also being honored with a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2008. This season, the senior leads the Knights in home runs (8), RBI (23), walks and fielding percentage and is second in total bases (61), slugging percentage (.508) and sacrifice flies (2).

Land was named to the all-academic team for the second-straight season for maintaining a 3.67 cumulative GPA as an athletic training major, while also proving to be one of the top offensive producers on the team and in C-USA.

The junior has twice been named to the Capital One Academic All-District III Team and earned the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal in both 2009 and 2010, while also being named to the Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll on three occasions. Like McClain, Land was also a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010.

Land has put together the most impressive season of her career in 2011, as she leads C-USA in all games in triples (5), while ranking third in batting average (.353) and seventh in slugging percentage (.527).

The pair of selections are the seventh and eighth for the Knights to the all-academic team since joining C-USA in 2006.

“This was a perfect way to earn my 600th win,” Luers-Gillispie said. “I feel like we are finally playing together and playing with confidence. Even with our backs against the wall, we found ways to win and our veterans stepped up when we really needed them to.”

The win vs. the Rattlers (9-8) moved Luers-Gillispie’s record to 600-451-3 in her 18th season as a head coach, while also improving her 麻豆映画传媒 record to 348-247-1 in her 10th season with the Knights.

Todd’s two RBI paced the Knights’ offense, while senior Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) tallied a RBI triple in the fourth inning. Sophomore Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) also had a hit, scored a run and posted the game-winning RBI in the sixth.

Junior Allie Jest (Stone Mountain, Ga.) extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the third inning. Senior Tawny Swan (Gilbert, Ariz.) recorded a hit and scored a pair of runs in the victory, and junior Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) tacked on a hit and one run scored.

In the circle, junior Lacy Dinney (Binbrook, Ont.) picked up her second win of the evening to move her record to 4-3 on the year. The hurler allowed only one run on three hits, while striking out six, in a complete-game outing.

The Black and Gold trailed early in the game after the Rattlers put a run across in the top of the first inning, but Dinney was able to regroup and held the visiting squad scoreless for the remainder of the contest.

麻豆映画传媒 finally got on the board in the fourth inning and tied the game when Swan led off the frame with a double to left field and came around to score on McClain’s RBI triple to left centerfield.

The Knights scored four runs and took their first lead of the contest in the bottom of the sixth inning. A single by Land was sandwiched between a pair of walks allowed to Swan and McClain to load the bases with no outs, before Menendez brought the first run in with a single to centerfield. Two more runs would come around on a two-RBI single to left field by Todd to give the Black and Gold a 5-1 advantage and seal the victory.

麻豆映画传媒 returns to action Tuesday when it hosts both Ball State and North Carolina in a doubleheader at the 麻豆映画传媒 Softball Complex. The first contest will begin at 4:30 p.m., while the nightcap is slated to get underway at 7 p.m.

Tiffany Lane (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) and Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) all garnered first team accolades, while Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.) and Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) were selected to the second team. Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) rounded out the Knights’ record number of selections by being named to the all-freshman team.

Lane earned a spot on the All-C-USA first team for the second-consecutive year after setting the league record with 21 career triples, while ranking sixth nationally in 2010 with six triples and seventh with a .12 triples per game average. Lane leads the Knights this season in triples, total bases (68) and slugging percentage (.479), while ranking second in batting average (.310), runs scored (25), hits (44), doubles (9), RBI (18) and stolen bases (12).

After being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2009, Land put together an impressive sophomore campaign this season to earn her first selection to the first team. The second baseman paces the Knights in batting average (.317), runs scored (29), hits (46), sacrifice hits (15) and stolen bases (17), and sits among the top-10 in C-USA in five different categories. Land was also recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Second Team for her work both on the field and in the classroom.

Cole garnered first-team distinction after putting together the best season of her career in the circle for the Black and Gold. The senior boats a 21-12 record, making her only the fourth pitcher in program history to tally 20 or more wins in a season, with a 1.53 ERA, five shutouts and 149 strikeouts in 224.2 innings pitched. Cole ranks in the league’s top-10 in eight different pitching categories. Most impressive about Cole’s senior season is the fact that she earned three wins over ranked opponents, including No. 16 Tennessee, No. 9 Alabama and No. 22 Ohio State. In six starts against teams ranked in the top-25, Cole totaled a 1.75 ERA, one shutout, 26 strikeouts and a .198 opponent batting average this season.

McClain was also a repeat selection to the All-C-USA Second Team after being voted to the squad last season. The junior started all 53 games behind the plate for 麻豆映画传媒 this season, catching 14 runners stealing and picking off one on the basepaths. Offensively, McClain leads 麻豆映画传媒 in on-base percentage (.399), walks (22) and times hit by pitch (6), while ranking third in batting average (.291), runs (25), hits (43), doubles (7) and home runs (2). Like Land, McClain was also recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) with a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team. With her selection to the first team, McClain is now eligible for the organization’s Academic All-America庐 consideration.

One of the Knights’ five seniors, Barrow was voted onto the second team after averaging a team-best 0.69 RBI per game as 麻豆映画传媒’s No. 3 batter. The third baseman posted a team-high 36 RBI during her senior campaign, while also leading the squad in runs scored (29), doubles (10), home runs (5) and assists (122). Barrow hit her first career grand slam against Cornell at the 麻豆映画传媒 Softball Complex, while pacing 麻豆映画传媒 with eight multiple-RBI games.

One of 11 rookies to be named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team, Menendez earned respect around the league after batting .252 on the season with 38 hits, four doubles, three triples and one home run. Menendez was the only freshman on the Knights’ roster to start all 53 regular-season contests, including 24 at first base, 15 as the designated player and 14 at second base. The rookie posted three-game winning RBI, including game-winners against both No. 16 Tennessee and No. 9 Alabama.

The No. 3-seeded Knights are set to take on No. 6-seed UTEP Thursday in the opening round of the C-USA Championship hosted by Houston at the Cougar Softball Stadium. First pitch for the contest is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.