The No. 4 Gator softball team used a freshman
Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) game-tying RBI single, followed
by a sophomore Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) two-run blast in the top of
the sixth inning to defeat USF, 3-1, in front of a record crowd of 1,611 at the
USF Softball Stadium in Tampa Wednesday.
Florida notched its seventh come-from-behind
victory of the season to improve to 17-1 overall in 2013. Five different Gators
connected for hits on the evening, but one each from freshman Kelsey Stewart
(Wichita, Kan.), Merritt and Haeger made the difference in the game against the
Bulls (6-9).
Facing a 1-0 deficit heading to the sixth
following a Kenshyra Jackson solo homer in the fourth for USF, the Gators put
together a game-winning two-out rally, starting with the top of the UF lineup
and Stewart.
After two quick outs in the top of the sixth
for USF pitcher Sara Nevins turned the Florida lineup over, Stewart connected
for a double to left field to spark the Gator offense. Next up, Merritt battled
to a full count at the plate before dropping a RBI base hit to left field,
plating Stewart for the 1-1 equalizer. The bats were contagious as Haeger went
yard next with a two-run blast, her team-tying third of the season, for the
game-winning runs.
Nevins and Florida junior hurler Hannah
Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) faced each other in the circle, Nevins shouldering
the loss (2-3) after giving up five hits and three earned runs in 6.2 innings
of work with eight strikeouts. Rogers went the distance, improving to 8-1 on
the season. The Gator righty fanned five, gave up the Bulls’ one run on five
hits through the evening. USF’s Lindsey Richardson came on for the final out in
the top of the seventh to add the ninth K of the contest for South Florida.
The Gators’ defense and Rogers shined
Wednesday, forcing the Bulls to leave two runners on three times in the second,
third and fifth innings before Stewart struck for a clutch unassisted double
play in the bottom of the sixth to retire USF after the Bulls were threatening
with two on and one out in the stanza.
Rogers then fanned the first two South
Florida batters in the bottom of the seventh and popped up the third to clinch
the victory for the Orange and Blue.
Sophomore Katie Medina (Downey,
Calif.) connected for UF’s first hit of the game in the third inning, while
sophomore Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) also registered a hit on the
evening with a double down the left-field line in the top of the seventh.
