No.
1/3 Florida softball put up a season-high 15 runs in the five-inning series
finale against Michigan State Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to sweep
the Spartans, 15-4, and improve to an undefeated 9-0 on the season, while serving
MSU (1-7) its seventh loss of the year.
The
Gators used three runs in the first inning, two in the second, seven in the
third – it’s largest output in an inning so far this year – and three in the
fourth to overcome the Spartans for their eighth run-rule of the 2012 campaign
and third-straight five-inning victory.
Throughout
UF’s last four outings in the past week, including a mid-week match-up with
Jacksonville and the weekend series with Michigan State, the Gators have put up
44 runs, limiting opponents to just seven, including MSU’s series-high four
Sunday, while hitting six homers, five doubles and two triples. On the season,
efficiency at the plate has resulted in 79 runs and 76 RBI for the Orange and
Blue, which move on to the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.,
Tuesday to take on BYU, Boise State and Top-25 foes Texas, Texas A&M and
Washington at the Big League Dreams Sports Complex Feb. 23-25.
Florida
continued its dominating offensive production, taking advantage of Michigan State
righty Cassee Layne, who walked 11 Florida batters, including five in the first
frame. Senior Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) was perfect at the
plate with a 3-for-3 hitting performance and one walk, scoring all four times
for four of UF’s 15 runs. Junior catcher Brittany Schutte (Fountain
Valley, Calif.) was 1-for-1, drove in two runs, walked a team-high three times
and also scored four runs for the Gators. Sophomore Cheyenne Coyle (West
Hills, Calif.) led the Orange and Blue with four RBI including a three-run shot
to right center for her third long ball of the season in the bottom of the
fourth for UF’s final three runs of the tilt.
Freshman
outfielder Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) earned her first career
start for the Gators in left field, connecting on 1-for-1, with two walks, one
RBI and a run scored.
Seven
Gators connected for hits Sunday afternoon, resulting in a 10-hit, 15-run
performance for UF. Layne (1-2) took her second loss of the season, working a
complete game with just one strikeout. In the circle for the Gators, freshman
righty Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) won her third decision of the
season to remain undefeated, giving up five hits, four runs and walking four
with five Ks through the five-inning effort.
After
a Coyle sac fly got the Gators on the board in the first, two more runs
completed the inning after Layne struggled to find the strike zone and walked
two Gators across home plate, Haeger and Schutte, both of whom reached base on
balls in the bottom of the first frame.
UF
added two more scored in the second to extend the lead, 5-0, on a junior Kelsey
Horton (Valrico, Fla.) single up the middle before Florida busted it open
in the third for a seven-run, six-hit rally.
Before
the Gators exploded offensively in the third, the Spartans narrowed the UF
lead, 5-3, with a two-out Sarah Bowling two-RBI double to left that plated two
MSU student-athletes. Haeger forced a groundout to get out of the inning and
the Florida offense gave the freshman athlete plenty of room to breathe in the bottom
of the frame.
Four
base hits from Little, freshman utility Jess Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.),
freshman Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) and Moultrie led off the scoring
splurge for UF in the third as S. Fagan drove in the first run, while Moultrie’s
bunt single and a Spartan error scored Damico for the 7-3 lead. Layne then
proceeded to walk Haeger, setting up a Schutte two-RBI base hit to make it nine
Gator runs.
Layne
quickly rallied for two outs, fanning her lone Gator of the contest in Coyle,
and forcing a Horton foul out, but in typical Florida fashion, the Gators didn’t
back down. The pressure mounted for MSU, resulting in two more runs after a
Jenny Ramsaier error at second allowed junior Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield,
Calif.) to reach as Schutte and sophomore Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.),
pinch running for Haeger, scampered home for the 11-2 advantage.
All
the way through the Florida lineup once, Little – who led off the third – was hit
by a pitch in her second at-bat of the frame to move freshman Katie Medina (Downey,
Calif.), running for Gammel, into scoring position. Damico connected for her
second hit of the third inning to bring Medina home for the seventh and final
run of the third inning before a S. Fagan fly out ended the scoring barrage with
a 12-2 lead.
Despite
the 10-run differential, Michigan State didn’t back down at the top of the
fourth, stringing together a three-hit, two-run inning with two outs on the
board, capitalizing on a bases loaded situation and drawing a walk to bring
their third run of the contest home. A Raime Cronkhite base hit gave MSU its
fourth and final run before Haeger got Ali Grant to fly out to right, resulting
in a 12-4, eight-run lead for UF heading to the bottom of the fourth.
Coyle’s
three-run shot in the fourth added three more insurance runs for the Orange and
Blue for the 15-4 lead, while Haeger allowed one walk in the fifth, but sat
three other Spartans down to seal the series sweep for the Gators.
