The No. 3/4 Florida softball team clinched
its sixth SEC series of the season with a 6-3 victory against the No. 18/19
Kentucky Wildcats Sunday in Lexington at John Cropp Stadium, improving to 41-5
(14-4 SEC) on the season.
Freshman Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach
Gardens, Fla.) went a career-tying 3-for-3 in Saturday’s series finale with the
Wildcats, connecting for a triple, homer, knocking in a team-best three RBI,
while also scoring two of Florida’s six runs in the victory. UF put up nine
hits, as six different Gator batters connected Sunday. Freshman Kelsey
Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) continued her hot weekend with a 2-for-4
performance in the series finale.
The Florida freshman trio of Stewart, Kirsti
Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) and Schwarz led Florida at the plate through
the weekend set against Kentucky, Stewart with a .545 clip (6-11), while
Merritt and Schwarz both turned in 3-9 performances (.333). The Gators
connected for a double, triple and four homers through the three-game series in
Lexington.
With two wins over the ranked Wildcats, the
Gators improved to 8-3 (.727) against top-25 opponents this season, using
Friday’s 7-4 win and Sunday’s 6-3 victory to add two to the tally. Florida will
return to John Cropp Stadium May 8-11 for the 2013 SEC Tournament, hosted by
Kentucky.
The Gators scattered runs in four of seven
innings Sunday, posting one in the first and sixth and two each in the second
and third to top Kentucky.
A total effort from the Gators’ bullpen
helped the Orange and Blue to the series win Sunday, as Florida used all three
righties in its arsenal to hold off Kentucky. Junior ace Hannah Rogers (Lake
Wales, Fla.) earned the start in the circle for the Gators in Sunday’s rubber
match, while sophomore Alyssa Bache (Clearwater, Fla.) came on in relief
in the bottom of the fourth for 2.1 innings of work to pick up the win (7-0).
Sophomore Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) worked the final 1.2 innings to
pick up her second save of the season.
Florida faced both Lauren Cumbess (8-5) and
Kelsey Nunley, Cumbess for the first 2.1 innings, before Nunley closed out the
final 4.2 for UK. The Gators struck out just twice Sunday, its least amount of
Ks in conference play and the least since three against Ole Miss March 31.
Haeger started the game out offensively for
UF, sending a one-out RBI single up the middle to plate freshman Kelsey
Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) in the top of the first. Stewart sent a base hit to
left to set things up for Haeger’s 48th RBI of the season.
A Griffin Joiner RBI double in the home half
of the frame for Kentucky knotted things up at 1-1 between the Gators and
Wildcats heading to the second, where Florida put up a two-spot, using three
hits in the inning. Schwarz went yard with her fifth homer of the season, a
solo shot, to lead off the frame for the Orange and Blue.
Next up, freshman Taylore Fuller (Trenton,
Fla.) connected for a base hit to left field and sophomore Katie Medina (Downey,
Calif.) dropped a sacrifice bunt to move her to second. With two outs on the
board, freshman Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) sent a single
through the right side to bring Fuller across home for the 3-1 Gator advantage
heading to the third.
UF didn’t back down, adding two runs on two hits,
as Schwarz connected for her second hit of the day, a two-RBI success down the
left-field line. Sophomore Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) drew a
one-out walk and junior Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.) sent a bouncer
through the right side to put both in scoring position for Schwarz’s 20th and
21st RBI of the season and the 5-1 Gator lead, while also chasing Cumbess from
the circle in favor of Nunley.
Kentucky was resilient, battling back with a
two-run third frame for a 5-3 differential, still in favor of the Gators.
Christian Stokes sent a double to right center, but was erased at second on a
Joiner fielder’s choice. Next up, Cumbess, playing first base, sent a two-run
homer to right center to bridge the gap and bring the Wildcats within two runs.
Florida opted to trade Rogers for Bache in
the circle in the bottom of the fourth, and the sophomore righty was effective,
holding the Wildcats scoreless in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Schwarz continued her stellar afternoon,
leading off the top of the sixth with her first career triple, while Stewart used
her speed to beat out a two-out infield single to plate Schwarz for the 6-3
Gator lead.
With Kentucky threatening in the bottom of
the sixth with a runner on third and one out, the Gators brought in Haeger in
the circle to finish things out for the Orange and Blue and Bache. A fielder’s
choice with a play at the plate prevented UK from scoring, while also putting up
the second out of the inning. With bases loaded after a walk, Haeger then
forced Stokes to fly out to Merritt in center to hold off and strand three
Wildcats.
Haeger sat down the side in the bottom of the
seventh, including a strikeout for the final out of the game, to preserve the
UF victory.
