The No. 3/4 Florida softball squad added a
9-1, six-inning victory over Sunshine State opponent USF Wednesday evening in
non-conference action at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators improved to
39-4 overall on the year and will take their 12-3 Southeastern Conference
record to Lexington this weekend for a three-game conference set against
Kentucky, UF’s third-to-last league series of the season.
After USF (32-12) plated the first run of the
contest in the top of the second, Florida countered with a three-run, three-hit
third frame, fueled by a freshman Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee,
Fla.) two-run triple to pull the Gators ahead, 3-1. The Orange and Blue never
looked back, adding a run in the third, two in the fourth and three in the
sixth.
Freshman Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach
Gardens, Fla.) and junior Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.) both roped
doubles to compliment Merritt’s triple, Schwarz hitting left field in the third
and Tofft finding the left-center gap in the fourth inning.
Sophomore Briana Little (Middleburg,
Fla.) was pegged with her 16th pitch of the season – a new Florida
single-season record, eclipsing former Gator All-American Francesca Enea’s 15
in 2010. Little and Merritt both reached on hit-by-pitches Wednesday, elevating
UF’s season total to 57.
Sophomore righty Lauren Haeger (Peoria,
Ariz.) (6 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB) earned the nod at pitcher for the Gators and
worked her sixth complete game of the season to pick up her 11th win in the
circle (11-1). Haeger retired the Bulls in order in the first, third and sixth
innings to limit USF’s offense.
Florida posted 10 hits Wednesday facing three
different USF pitchers, first Lindsey Richardson (10-4), who was charged the
loss after 2.0 innings of work when the Gators put up four runs on four hits
and drew three walks. Erica Nunn and Sam Greiner each saw time in the circle
for the Bulls, Nunn in the third and fourth, Greiner in the fifth and sixth.
Haeger used two straight Ks and a ground out
to kick off the first inning, retiring the Bulls in order to set the tone for
the game, limiting South Florida to just four hits through the span of the
night.
USF put up the first run of the contest in
the top of the second inning after Kenshyra Jackson led off with a double down
the left-field line and came home on a speedy Ashli Goff two-out infield single
to take the Bulls up, 1-0.
Florida battled back in the home half of the
inning, though, first using a freshman Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.)
RBI single to shallow center as the equalizer to plate sophomore Briana
Little (Middleburg, Fla.) – who reached on a single of her own to shallow
left field. Next up, Merritt delivered her two-run triple to deep right center
for the 3-1 Gator lead heading to the third. For Merritt, the three-bagger
marked her third of the season and the 14th for the Orange and Blue.
A strike out – Haeger’s third of the day –
ground out and fly out sat down the side in the top of the third, keeping the
momentum in favor of the Gators.
Florida added a run to its lead in the home
half of the third frame, started by a Schwarz double, her second of the season,
before Little and sophomore Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) both drew
one-out walks to juice the bags for sophomore Jess Damico (Gray Summit,
Mo.). Damico drew a bases-loaded walk for her 21st RBI of the season before a
fielder’s choice and fly out ended the stanza.
In the top of the fourth after Haeger’s
fourth strikeout of the game to leadoff hitter Lee Ann Spivey and a base hit
for USF designated player Morgan Litchfield, the Gators nixed any shot of a
Bulls run in the frame with a 5-4-3 double play from Tofft at third to Stewart
at second and then to Schwarz at first to retire the side.
The Orange and Blue put up two more runs in
the bottom of the fourth thanks to a Tofft two-run double to left center that
plated senior outfielder Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) and Schwarz, who
reached on a one-out walk and one-out infield single, respectively, for the 6-1
UF advantage.
UF then used three runs in the bottom of the
sixth to enforce the run-rule, Florida’s 12th of the year and 15th
come-from-behind. Tofft led off with an infield single to the USF second
baseman before Little was hit for runners on first and second, no outs. With
one down, freshman Taylore Fuller (Trenton, Fla.), pinch hitting for
Damico, knocked a RBI single to left for the 7-1 lead after Tofft crossed, also
turning over the Gator lineup.
Next up, Stewart sent an infield single to
third base to load the bags, but a USF defensive error on an overthrow to third
attempting an out allowed two Florida runs – Little and Fuller – to cross the
dish for the 9-1 differential.
