The Knights’ ace became just the second pitcher in school history to earn Pitcher of the Week honors three times in one season and the first to do it back-to-back weeks. She struck out 33 batters in 21.2 innings and allowed just seven hits for the week.

Audas opened her week with a dazzling two-hit, 11 strikeout performance against Florida. The Gators came into the game ranked in the top 20 in the nation in batting average, slugging percentage and runs per game, but only managed two singles against Audas.

On Saturday, Audas made a relief appearance and a start at UAB. In game one, Audas stepped in relief with the bases loaded and one out and got a pop up and strikeout to end the Blazers’ threat. Later that day in game two, she pitched a complete game and took a loss despite allowing just four hits and striking out 11.

Audas followed up that performance the next day with another stellar outing as she picked up her seventh conference shutout of the season. The young hurler took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished up with eight innings and just one hit allowed while striking out 10 as the Knights won by 1-0.

Audas has been arguably the most dominant pitcher in C-USA this season as she has a 17-6 record and leads the conference with a 1.06 ERA. She has only allowed 96 hits in 165.2 innings and has recorded a league-high 202 strikeouts while holding opponents hitters to a conference-low .166 batting average.

This is the fourth C-USA Softball Pitcher of the Week award for the Knights this season. Senior Ali Schmidt won the award on Feb. 27 and Audas took home the award on March 19 and April 9.

Audas and the Knights will return to action Wednesday when Â鶹ԭ´´ hosts Bethune-Cookman at 5:30 p.m. at the Â鶹ԭ´´ Softball Complex.

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’s teammates mobbed her in the infield.

Â鶹ԭ´´ 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’ top ranked conference pitching staff against a Miners’ 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’s 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’ 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 Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com and Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000.

Confident after their comeback, the Knights (15-7) easily handled the Hoyas 5-0 in the second game to sweep the two-game series.

Â鶹ԭ´´ has now won 10 straight games heading into conference play, which begins with a home series this weekend against Tulsa. The Knights and Golden Hurricane will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at noon Sunday.

Down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Â鶹ԭ´´ rallied and scored two runs to defeat the Hoyas (8-11) 3-2. Freshman Farrah Sullivan (Waynesboro, Miss.) and senior Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After an out, senior Tawny Swan (Gilbert, Ariz.) smoked a single through the right side that scored Sullivan from second. When the throw to plate went to the backstop, Perez scored from third.

Earlier in the game, Sullivan hit an RBI double in the fourth to cut the Knights’ deficit to one run. Sullivan was 3-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored in the doubleheader. She raised her season batting average to .294 and now has a team-leading 12 RBI.

Freshman Mackenzie Audas (Plant City, Fla.) struggled early, as she allowed two runs on three hits in the first inning. However, Audas settled in nicely and didn’t allow a hit or run through the next six innings en route to her seventh victory of the season. Audas is now 7-4 with a 1.58 ERA and a Conference USA-best 75 strikeouts in 80 innings.

Freshman Hayley Barrow (Miami, Fla.) made her season debut as a pinch hitter for the Black and Gold after missing the first 20 games with an injury. Barrow is the younger sister of former Knights four-year starter Hillary Barrow.

Senior Ali Schmidt (Cordova, Md.) improved to 5-1 on the season as she pitched her first career shutout. Schmidt struck out five and threw the third one-hitter of the season for the Knights. She now has a team-best 1.31 ERA in 11 appearances on the year.

Freshman Kahley Novak (Clermont, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Knights. Novak, who began the year as the Knights’ leadoff hitter, has flourished since moving into the two spot in the lineup.

Junior Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Menendez broke the game open in the fifth inning as she ripped a two-run triple down the right field line that scored Novak from third and junior Danielle Brewer (Apopka, Fla.) all the way from first. Like Sullivan, Menendez was also 3-for-6 during the doubleheader. Menendez leads the Knights with a .348 batting average.

The Knights have 18 home games remaining at the Â鶹ԭ´´ Softball Complex. Â鶹ԭ´´ fans can follow all of the action on Â鶹ԭ´´ All-Access with live video and audio. Fans can also follow on the Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com Gametracker as well as www.twitter.com/Â鶹ԭ´´_Softball.

 Friday, Game One – Â鶹ԭ´´ 2, Ohio State 1

Freshman Mackenzie Audas (Plant City, Fla.) earned her first-career win in her first collegiate game after only allowing one earned run on six hits in seven innings to help the Knights earn a 2-1 victory over Ohio State (0-1) in their opening game of the Dot Richardson’s National Collegiate Softball Invitational.

The young hurler was dominant from the onset as she struck out the first batter she faced and five of the first eight she retired. Audas tallied nine strikeouts total and didn’t issue a single walk in the complete game performance as she improved to 1-0 on the season.

Senior Allie Jest (Stone Mountain, Ga.) provided the game-winning RBI in the fifth inning when she dropped a one out opposite-field single into left field. This base hit scored fellow senior Tawny Swan (Gilbert, Ariz.) who was on third base after ripping a triple deep into the right-center field gap.

The Buckeyes were able to get the tying run into scoring position in the bottom of the seventh after a single and a stolen base, but Audas saved her best for last and struck out Buckeyes left fielder Megan Coletta to end the game.

Friday, Game Two – Â鶹ԭ´´ 9, Florida A&M 1 (5 innings)

Â鶹ԭ´´ used aggressive base running and timely hitting to defeat Florida A&M 9-1 in five rain-soaked innings in the second game of Friday’s double header at Dot Richardson’s National Collegiate Softball Invitational. The win gave the Knights their first 2-0 start since the 2004 season.

The Knights got five stolen bases from five different players and constantly put the Rattlers’ defense under pressure by taking extra bases at every opportunity. Â鶹ԭ´´ is a perfect 7-7 in stolen base attempts through two games this season.

The black and gold jumped on FAMU early as Brewer roped a double to left field, advanced to third on senior Natalie Land’s (Mayo, Fla.) infield single, and scored on Menendez’s fielder’s choice to first base. Freshman Farrah Sullivan (Waynesboro, Miss.) then knocked in Land from second with an RBI single up the middle for her first hit of the season. Senior Vanessa Perez (San Diego, Calif.) finished the first inning scoring with a sacrifice fly to stake the Knights to a 3-0 first inning lead.

Senior transfer Ali Schmidt (Cordova, Md.), making her first Division I collegiate start, picked up her first career win after pitching five innings and allowing just three hits and one unearned run. Schmidt attacked hitters early and cruised through the first three innings before slightly struggling with wet conditions that made gripping the ball difficult. Schmidt allowed five base runners in the final two innings, but managed to escape without allowing any additional runs.

With rain bearing down on the field and a steady drizzle ready to turn into a downpour, the Knights quickly finished off the mercy rule victory in the fifth inning as Swan blasted a double into the right-centerfield gap to score Perez from second.

Saturday, Game One – Â鶹ԭ´´ 10, Bethune-Cookman 4

Â鶹ԭ´´ slugged out 11 hits and hit three home runs as the bats surged against Bethune-Cookman. Freshman Farrah Sullivan (Waynesboro, Miss.) smashed a three-run home run in the top of the first inning and finished the game 3-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Sullivan and the rest of the Knights carried the team to a dominant 10-4 victory over Bethune-Cookman (0-3) in their third game of the Dot Richardson’s National Collegiate Softball Invitational.

Sullivan had a tremendous weekend for the Knights as the young slugger hit .417 (5-12) and knocked in a team-leading six runs for the Knights in the four games. Sullivan is also leading the black and gold in slugging percentage as well as total bases. Perhaps most surprising, a recruited first baseman, Sullivan also made several strong defensive plays at third base, leading the Knights with nine infield assists in the weekend slate.

Junior transfer Alex Hartshorn (Tampa, Fla.) made her first start of the season and earned her first Division I victory after allowing three earned runs on four hits in four innings. Hartshorn kept the Wildcats limited on the bases by not allowing a single walk. Senior Ali Schmidt (Cordova, Md.) earned her first career save after pitching three scoreless innings in relief.

Saturday, Game Two – Â鶹ԭ´´ 6, Chattanooga 2

Freshman standout Mackenzie Audas (Plant City, Fla.) was once again dominant in her second career start as the Â鶹ԭ´´ defeated Chattanooga 6-2 in their fourth and final game of Dot Richardson’s National Collegiate Softball Invitational. The win gave the Knights their second best start in school history, topped only by their 5-0 start in 2004.

Audas pitched her second complete game of the weekend and kept the Mocs both off balance and overmatched with her mix of risers and changeups. Audas struck out 10 batters in seven innings and did not allow a walk for the second consecutive game. The righty has an incredible 19-0 strikeout to walk ratio in her two starts for the Knights.

The Black and Gold will play 30 home games at the Â鶹ԭ´´ Softball Complex, with season tickets for the 2012 season costing only $40. The Knights’ first home game is slated for Feb. 24 against Seton Hall. Tickets are available for purchase online at Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com and Ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics Ticket Office at (407) Â鶹ԭ´´-1000.