The
2012 UF softball campaign got off to a soggy start Friday in Tampa, as UF’s
season-opening match-up against Long Island was cut short in the top of the
fifth inning, with the No. 2/4 Gators owning a 7-0 advantage over the
Blackbirds with two outs, one runner in scoring position and senior Michelle
Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) at the plate before the skies opened. The
Gators and Blackbirds will play the remainder of Friday’s game Saturday at 10:30
a.m. at the USF Softball Complex.
The
second game of UF’s opening-day slate against FGCU has been postponed until
Sunday afternoon. Check www.GatorZone.com
for updated time information.
Four
Florida freshmen in Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.), Lauren Haeger (Peoria,
Ariz.), Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) and Jess Damico (Gray
Summit, Mo.) made their first career starts in a Gator uniform, combining for
five of UF’s nine hits through four-and-a-half innings, led by Fagan’s 2-for-3 effort
and Damico’s 2-for-2 performance. Haeger and Damico each drove in one run
apiece.
Sophomore
hurler Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) worked the full 4.0 in the circle
up until the weather delay for the Orange and Blue, which debuted new orange on
‘steel’ uniforms Friday. Rogers fanned five and allowed just two hits and one
walk.
The
Gators scattered runs in the first, third and fifth innings, with one each in
the first and third before pouring it on in the fifth. After three
uncharacteristic errors for the young Florida squad through the first two frames,
the Gators found their rhythm, relying on a two-out rally in the fifth for the
season-opening spark that allowed UF to pull away from LIU.
Junior
catcher Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif.) started the rally with
patience at the plate, drawing a two-out walk, while sophomore Cheyenne
Coyle (West Hills, Calif.), junior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.)
followed with base hits to load the bags. Sophomore Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon,
Fla.) walked, bringing in a run for the 3-0 lead. Next up, junior Ensley
Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.) , pinch hitting for Medina, sent a hard hit
through the left side, bringing in a run, while Horton made it two runs by
capitalizing on an error by the LIU catcher to take the Orange and Blue up,
5-0.
The
pressure mounted for LIU as the rain began to fall, resulting in another
Florida run on a Sarah Reynolds wild pitch. Damico followed with a single to
left center, turning over the Florida lineup with her second hit of the game
and scoring Gammel. Damico proceeded to steal second and advance to third on
another Reynolds wild pitch with Moultrie at the plate before the umpires
deemed the conditions unplayable.
Play
will resume at 10:30 a.m. Saturday as UF and LIU will complete Friday’s contest
before the day’s slate of USF Tournament games begins at 11:15 a.m. The Gators
will then enjoy a short break before taking to the field against Maine and
Illinois State at 6:15 and 8:30, respectively.
