In
its final home series of the 2012 regular season, the No. 2/4 Florida softball
squad dropped a close one Friday as the Kentucky Wildcats took a 2-0 decision
in the series opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. UK used a two-run,
two-hit third inning for the win, as both hurlers dueled it out in the circle,
giving up just four hits each.
The
Orange and Blue (42-7, 19-4 SEC) will look to even the series with the Wildcats
Saturday, as the Gators honor Florida senior All-American centerfielder Michelle
Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) on Senior Day. Moultrie
will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony at approximately 12:30 p.m. Saturday
before first pitch with UK at 1 p.m.
Attempting
its ninth come-from-behind victory of the season, Moultrie led UF’s efforts
with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate Friday evening, dropping two bunt
singles to increase her career total to 68 through her tenure as a Gator. A
2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and USA Softball Player of the Year top-10 finalist,
Moultrie added her 21st multiple-hit game of the year to the stat sheet.
UF
sophomore ace Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) worked her 22nd complete
game of the season, giving up just four UK hits and one earned run, but Rogers
was charged her fourth loss of the season (25-4). The Gators’ righty fanned
four, while walking three. In the other dugout, Kentucky senior pitcher Chanda
Bell also went the distance, tossing a four-hit shutout, fanning eight Gators
and walking one to improve to 13-10 on the season. With the win, the Wildcats
improved to 25-26 overall, 11-12 in league action.
The
Gators collaborated for one hit each in the first and second frames as Moultrie
led off the game for the Orange and Blue with a bunt single, while freshman Lauren
Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) connected for a two-out single up the middle in the
second stanza, but UF left both Gators on. UK’s offense swung into action in
the top of the third with a two-spot for the first – and only – runs of the day
for either club.
Wildcat
senior Brittany Cervantes smoked a liner over the left-field fence for the 1-0
lead on her 10th long ball of the year before junior Kara Dill took two bases
after capitalizing on a Gator defensive miscue. Next up, senior Rachel Riley
struck for a RBI single to plate Dill for Kentucky’s second run of the game and
the 2-0 lead.
Florida
tried to take advantage of two UK errors in the home half of the third when
freshman Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.), UF’s leadoff batter in the
stanza, reached on a UK throwing error, while a sophomore Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon,
Fla.) sac bunt moved her to second and turned over the Gator lineup. On the
ensuing play, Moultrie laid down a bunt single, took second on an error when
the UK first baseman overthrew the toss to the Wildcat second baseman, Emily
Jolly. Medina attempted to scamper home on the play from second, but Jolly
tossed to catcher Griffin Joiner for the second out of the stanza at the dish.
An interference call retired the side before UF could cut the Kentucky lead.
After
scoreless fourth and fifth innings for both teams, freshman Sami Fagan (Dunnellon,
Fla.) dropped a one-out blooper in shallow left center for UF’s fourth and
final hit of the day in the bottom of the sixth, but a Bell strikeout and
pop-up retired the Gators.
UK
pinch hitter Sarah Frazer added a hit to the Wildcats’ hit tally in the
seventh, but a fielder’s choice, fly out and ‘runner-left-early’ call halted UK
from adding to the score. Bell retired the Gators in order in the bottom of the
seventh to clinch Kentucky’s fourth-straight victory over Florida, its fifth
win all-time in Gainesville.
Cervantes
led UK’s efforts with a 2-for-2 performance, one run and one RBI on the
evening.
