Florida Baseball One-Hits Florida Atlantic, 7-1

A six-run fifth inning and dominant pitching lifted Florida (27-23) to a 7-1 victory over Florida Atlantic (28-20) on Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium. Sophomore left-hander Bobby Poyner (Wellington, Fla.) (3-2) limited the Owls to one run and one hit over a career-high six innings and he was followed to the mound by freshman Danny Young (Boca Raton, Fla.), sophomore Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) and sophomore Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.), who each threw a perfect frame. The Gators retired the final 13 FAU batters in securing head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s 250th victory at Florida.

“I thought their starter [Jake Meiers] did a really nice job,” O’Sullivan said. “He threw some quality changeups and breaking balls and he kept the ball down, but Bobby [Poyner] matched him pitch-for-pitch. He pitched outstanding for us tonight. Our relief pitching was really good – holding a team like FAU to one run and one hit over nine innings. We were obviously pleased with the effort. There were a lot of big at-bats tonight. Credit their starter, he did a great job, but we hung in there and the fifth inning was a big one for us offensively.”

“I felt pretty good,” Poyner said. “I was trying to throw the ball to the plate and let the defense play. We made really good catches in the outfield, played really great on defense and didn’t make any errors.”

After Poyner retired the first six batters of the contest, senior Corey Keller drew a leadoff walk in the third inning and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by sophomore Ricky Santiago. A grounder by sophomore Mitch Morales pushed Keller to third base and senior Nathan Pittman gave the Owls a 1-0 lead with a base-hit into left field that brought home Keller. It was the visitors’ lone hit of the contest.

Florida threatened against senior Jake Meiers (4-3) with two down in the fourth, as sophomore Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) roped a single into left field and redshirt sophomore Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) earned a free pass. The right-hander had senior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) fly out to left field to end the inning.

The Gators moved in front in the fifth with six runs on four hits and an error to seize a 6-1 advantage. Sophomore Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) led off by being hit by a pitch and a fielder’s choice by freshman Harrison Bader (Bronxville, N.Y.) was misplayed by Morales to give the hosts runners on the corners with none out. Senior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.) executed a squeeze bunt to bring across Tobias with the tying run.

Bader went to third on a wild pitch and freshman Richie Martin (Brandon, Fla.) (2-for-4) followed with an infield single and was able to take second on the play. Redshirt sophomore Bo Logan replaced Meiers (4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER) and surrendered a two-run double into left center to sophomore Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) (2-for-5). Sophomore Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) stroked a single through the left side of the infield to move Turgeon to third and Logan had Shafer line out to second base for the second out. Florida scored its fourth run of the frame when Logan was charged with a balk and Powers increased the margin to 5-1 with an RBI single that plated Gushue. Senior Gregg Bennis took over for Logan (0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER) and plunked Ramjit and Tobias to load the bases. Bader drew a walk to bring home Powers with the final run of the frame.

After Young threw a perfect seventh on six pitches, Ramjit clubbed a solo homer into the left-field bleachers with one down off of junior Andrew Archer to provide the Gators with a 7-1 margin. Ramjit’s fourth big fly of the campaign was his first since March 31 against Ole Miss. Tobias followed with a single into center field, Bader walked and Dent stroked a single into right field to fill the sacks with one down. However, the Owls worked out further trouble with a 1-2-3 double play.

Harris retired the Owls in the eighth on eight pitches and Magliozzi completed the game with a 10-pitch ninth to register the Gators’ second win in as many nights.

Florida baseball powers past FAMU

Florida senior Cody Dent's first career home run highlighted an offensive onslaught as the Gators bounced back from a three-game sweep at No. 3 LSU with a dominant 22-1 win over Florida A&M (7-42) on Monday night.

Harrison Bader and Christian Dicks each drove in four runs, and Dent, Richie Martin and Zack Powers had three RBIs apiece as Florida's bats produced season-high marks of 23 hits and 22 runs.

Justin Shafer struck out a career-high eight batters in his fourth start of the year as the UF sophomore lasted six innings, giving up only two hits and one run on Aaron Smith's solo shot to left in the fourth inning.

Florida (26-23) will finish its non-conference schedule Tuesday when the Gators play host to Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m.

Men's Golf to Participate in NCAA South Regional

The University of Florida men's golf team will head to the University Club in Baton Rouge, La. for the 2013 NCAA South Regionals, the NCAA announced tonight. Play will begin Thursday, May 16 and run through Saturday, May 18.

Florida has advanced to the regionals competition every year since its inception in 1989. The team has captured five regional titles and most recently won in 2011. From there, the team has gone on and participated in the NCAA Championships every year but one. Currently, the Gators have qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the past 12 seasons, the longest current streak in the nation.

Last season, the team finished in second place at the East Regional in Greensboro, N.C. J.D. Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.) was the Gators' lowest scorer for the tournament. He finished in 216 strokes (E) and tied for fifth place.

Six regionals will be played that weekend with 14 teams at each location. The top five finishers at each site will earn invitations to the 2013 NCAA Championships, which will be played at Capital City Club in Woodstock, Ga.

NCAA South Regional Tournament Field (Golfstat Relative Rankings in Parentheses)

1. Alabama (2)

2. Florida (10)

3. LSU (17)

4. Mississippi State (23)

5. Houston (26)

6. Northwestern (34)

7. Tennessee (38)

8. South Alabama (47)

9. Coastal Carolina (50)

10. UAB (61)

11. Wichita State (63)

12. Southeastern Louisiana (76)

13. Houston Baptist (140)

Individuals

Jonathan Grey (Georgia State)

Tomasz Anderson (Jacksonville State)

Alex Ellis (College of Charleston)

Kamito Hirai (Winthrop)

Blake Morris (Ole Miss)

Sam Bernstein (Yale)

Josh Lorenzetti (College of Charleston)

Josh Waters (LIU Brooklyn)

Steve Burak (Fairfield)

Chris House (Navy)

Florida Earns No. 5 seed for NCAA Tournament: Will Host Denver and Jacksonville in Opening Rounds

The University of Florida lacrosse has earned the No. 5 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, announced Sunday evening. The Gators (17-2) will host Jacksonville and Denver in the first and second rounds in Gainesville on May 10 and 12 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

Florida earns a bye in the first round facing the winner of the Dolphins and Pioneers on May 12 at 1 p.m. This will be the third-straight year UF will host a portion of the NCAA Tournament. The top six seeds of the NCAA Tournament receive first round-byes to automatically advance to the second round.

Maryland (19-0) earns the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament field with Northwestern (17-2), North Carolina (14-3) and Syracuse (16-3) grabbing the first four seeds. Florida has wins over the Wildcats, Tar Heels and Orange this season but a loss to Northwestern in the ALC Tournament Championship on Sunday played a major factor in tournament seeding. Georgetown earned the final bye in the tournament as the six seed. Penn State and Navy pick up the 7 and 8 seeds, respectively but will have to play in the first round. 

UF has a history with both Jacksonville and Denver headed into Sunday’s second round action. Florida and Jacksonville have met in each of the four years of both program’s existence with UF holding a 4-1 advantage over the Dolphins. Florida most recently defeated the Dolphins 15-4 in Jacksonville on February 13. The Orange and Blue met the Pioneers on February 20, 2011 in a 15-7 win at Dizney Stadium.

Jacksonville (A Sun) earned automatic bid to the tourney while Denver earned an at-large bid as it finished runner-up to Stanford in the Mountain Sports Pacific Federation tournament. 

Check back to GatorZone.com for updated information on the Gainesville NCAA first and second rounds.

For all of the latest information on Florida lacrosse, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/lacrosse or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Florida lacrosse on Twitter at @GatorZoneLAX or www.twitter.com/GatorZoneLAX. You can also find the Gators on Facebook.

NCAA Lacrosse Championship First Round Schedule

#1 Maryland vs. winner of Stony Brook vs. Towson

#2 Northwestern vs. winner of Notre Dame vs. Stanford

#3 North Carolina vs. winner of Loyola (MD) vs. High Point

#4 Syracuse vs. winner of Boston College vs. Dartmouth

#5 Florida vs. winner of Denver vs. Jacksonville

#6 Georgetown vs. winner of Penn vs. Virginia

#7 Penn State vs. Caniscius

                UMass vs. UConn at State College, Pa.

#8 Navy vs. Monmouth

                Duke vs. Princeton at Annapolis, Md.

Gator Softball Wins SEC Regular-Season Title, is No. 1 Seed for 2013 SEC Softball Tournament

The No. 2/3 Florida softball squad clinched the regular-season Southeastern Conference Title Sunday, the fourth SEC Championship in Gator softball history, and solidified the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SEC Softball Tournament May 8-11 in Lexington, Ky. Florida will play the winner of Alabama/Texas A&M to open SEC Tournament play May 9.

The Gators (18-6, .750) edged out the Tennessee Lady Vols (16-6, .727) for their fourth league title in school history (1998, 2008, 2009, 2013), the third under Florida head coach Tim Walton, while also claiming the SEC Eastern Division for the sixth time (1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013).

Softball’s regular-season title Sunday marked the eighth SEC title for the Florida athletics program this year, tying a school and league record for most in a season as Florida previously accomplished the feat twice, along with Georgia once.

The Orange and Blue wrapped up regular-season play this weekend with a series win at South Carolina, finishing the 2013 conference slate as the only team in the league to win all eight conference sets, including sweeps over both Arkansas and Ole Miss. UF is 49-7 overall on the campaign as it heads to the postseason next week in Lexington, just one win shy of the fifth 50-win season in Florida history.

Florida will play the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 seed contest between Alabama and Texas A&M on Thursday, May 9 at 11 a.m. (ET) at John Cropp Stadium. The contest between the Gators and either Alabama | Texas A&M will be broadcast live on ESPNU, as the complete 2013 SEC Tournament will once again air on the ESPN family of networks, with the Championship Game slated to be broadcast on ESPN Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ESPN’s softball crew of Beth Mowins, Holly Rowe, Michele Smith, Jessica Mendoza and Cara Capuano will handle coverage through the duration of the tournament. SECDigitalNetwork.com will additionally cover the tournament with exclusive online coverage behind the scenes. 

Tickets for the single-elimination tournament can be purchased through the Kentucky Athletic Ticket Office by visiting www.ukathletics.com.      

Florida is 19-23 (.452) all-time in the SEC Tournament and advanced to the SEC Tournament Championship last season for the fifth time in program history.

The Orange and Blue faced Alabama earlier this season, knocking off the then-No. 1 team in the land with a mid-week, non-conference 8-4 victory to kick off UF’s spring break road trip in the Heart of Dixie. Alabama leads the all-time history of the series, 30-24, including a 6-3 edge on neutral ground.

While Florida didn’t face SEC newcomer Texas A&M as part of its regular-season slate in 2013, the Gators and Aggies met just last season in 2012 at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs. UF opened play in California with a 6-4 victory over the Aggies at the Big League Dreams Sports Complex. UF and TAMU have met just seven times and the Gator victory Feb. 23, 2012, gave the Gators the 4-3 all-time advantage in the history of the series. Florida leads 2-1 on neutral ground.

Notably, Alabama won the three-game series against Texas A&M March 29-31 in College Station. The Aggies took the series opener, 3-2, at home before the Crimson Tide rebounded with 6-2 and 4-1 victories in games two and three, respectively.

The Gators are 11-4 (.733) against top-25 opponents, tops in the SEC, own 17 come-from-behind wins – seven in SEC play – and are 5-2 (.714) in extra-inning games in 2013. Florida owns 18 shutouts, paced by junior ace Hannah Rogers’ (Lake Wales, Fla.) nine. Florida is 9-3 versus 1-25 RPI opponents, 13-3 against opponents ranked 26-50 in the RPI rankings and 16-1 against teams 50-100 in the most recent RPI standings.

No. 3 LSU Completes Sweep of Florida Baseball

No. 3 LSU (43-6/19-5 SEC) used a 19-hit offensive outburst to hand Florida (25-23/12-12 SEC) an 18-6 setback on Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium to take all three games of the series. The Tigers collected their fourth-consecutive win and handed the Gators their fourth loss in a row. Junior JaCoby Jones (2-for-5) had a career-high six RBI, including a grand slam during an eight-run sixth inning, while freshman Alex Bregman went 3-for-5 with three RBI and scored three runs for the hosts.

The Gators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against junior right-hander Ryan Eades (8-1) on an RBI triple by sophomore Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) (2-for-3) and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.). Sophomore Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) (3-for-4) had singled up the middle with one down and Gushue lined a triple off of the wall in right field to put the visitors on the scoreboard. Shafer followed with his fourth sacrifice fly of the season to straightaway center field to bring home Gushue.

Sophomore Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) earned a free pass with one down in the second inning and moved into scoring position with his fifth stolen base. After Eades struck out freshman Harrison Bader (Bronxville, N.Y.), Tobias swiped third base with two out. However, Eades responded with an inning-ending strikeout of senior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.).

LSU answered with three runs on three hits in the home part of the inning to seize a 3-2 advantage. Senior Mason Katz (2-for-3) led off with a single into center field and senior Raph Rhymes (2-for-3, two runs) had a base-hit through the left side of the infield before junior Christian Ibarra (3-for-3, two RBI, two runs) was hit by freshman starter Danny Young (Boca Raton, Fla.) (3-4) to load the bases with none out. A fielder’s choice by junior Ty Ross (1-for-4, two runs) resulted in Katz being thrown out at the plate and Jones tied the game with a two-run double down the left-field line. Freshman Andrew Stevenson’s RBI grounder to second base scored Ross to move the Tigers in front.

Turgeon drew a one-out walk in the third and stole second base before Shafer earned a free pass on four pitches with two down. Eades had redshirt sophomore Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) fly out to center field to strand the runners.

Freshman Eric Hanhold (Palm Harbor, Fla.) replaced Young (2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R) prior to the Tigers’ third at bat and issued a leadoff walk to freshman Mark Laird. After Katz punched a one-out single into center field, Hanhold induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play on a grounder by Rhymes.

LSU tallied four runs on three hits in the fifth, highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Ibarra, to build a 7-2 advantage. Junior Sean McMullen (3-for-4, two runs) began the stanza with a double down the right-field line and went to third on a one-out wild pitch by Hanhold. Bregman expanded LSU’s lead to 4-2 with a two-bagger to left field, prompting a pitching change. Sophomore Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) took over for Hanhold (2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R) and walked Katz for runners on the corners and one down. After Katz stole second for two Tigers in scoring position, Rhymes was walked intentionally to bring junior Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) out of the bullpen for Harris. Ibarra greeted the reliever with a double to left field that plated Bregman and Katz, with Rhymes also coming home on a fielding error by Bader.  

The Tigers added eight more runs in the sixth on seven hits to increase their margin to 15-2. Stevenson began the inning with a bunt single to third base, McMullen singled through the right side to advance his teammate to third and Laird walked to fill the bags. Bregman had a two-run double into right center, Katz had an RBI grounder and Rhymes sliced an RBI single through the right side of the infield. Consecutive singles by Ibarra and Ross loaded the bases and freshman Jay Carmichael (Cape Coral, Fla.) took over for Gibson. Jones connected on a grand slam to left field to empty the sacks, his fifth round-tripper of the campaign, second of the series and LSU’s first grand slam of the season. Freshman Chris Chinea had a three-run double with two down in the seventh for an 18-2 score.

Florida used six-consecutive singles in the ninth to complete the scoring at 18-6. With one down, sophomore Connor Mitchell (Tampa, Fla.) had a pinch-hit single to first base, freshman Brady Roberson (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) had a pinch-hit single into left field and freshman Christian Dicks (Jacksonville, Fla.) had a base-hit into left field to load the bases. Freshman Richie Martin (Brandon, Fla.) drove in Mitchell with a run-scoring single into left field and Turgeon’s base-knock to left brought home Roberson. Freshman Kevin Stypulkowski (Lake Worth, Fla.) came through with an RBI single into right field to plate Dicks and a fielder’s choice by redshirt freshman Cory Reid (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) scored Martin with the Gators’ final run. LSU had a 19-11 advantage in hits, with six different players turning in multiple-hit efforts.

Florida Softball Wins Final SEC Series, Splits DH With South Carolina to Wrap Up Regular Season Play

The No. 2/3 Gator softball squad split a Saturday doubleheader with South Carolina in Columbia, taking game one of the twin bill over the Gamecocks, 3-2, in eight innings to clinch the series, before USC claimed a 2-1 victory in game two to wrap up regular-season play for both squads at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.

The Orange and Blue improved to 49-7 on the season and 18-6 in Southeastern Conference play, having notched series wins in all eight league sets this season. Florida will await results of this weekend’s remaining league games to determine the SEC regular-season champion, along with tournament seeding for the upcoming SEC Tournament in Lexington, Ky., May 8-11.

UF’s 49 victories pace the nation and the Gators are just a win away from their fifth 50-win season in program history.

Junior ace Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) earned both decisions in the circle for UF Saturday, moving to 28-5 on the season. The Gators were paced by sophomore Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) and Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) through the three-game series with the Gamecocks, as both batted .400 (4-for-10). Florida put up eight extra-base hits on the weekend, seven doubles and a blast from Merritt Saturday.

Merritt’s two-out solo shot in the top of the eighth proved to be the game-winner for the Gators in game one of the twin bill Saturday between the Gators and Gamecocks, as UF played free softball for the seventh time this season, improving to 5-2 in extras with its 17th come-from-behind this season.

Haeger started things off for the Orange and Blue in the circle in game one before Rogers came on for four innings of scoreless relief with three Ks to earn the win.

Tofft knocked two doubles in game one of the doubleheader, her 16th and 17th two-baggers of the season, and is now three shy of the single-season school record 20. Freshman Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) was 2-for-3 in game two of the doubleheader, taking sole possession of the single-season freshman hits record with 77 on the year.

Florida put up six hits in game one, paced by Merritt and Tofft, who each turned in two. In the nightcap, Stewart had two of UF’s three, while Merritt claimed the other. Florida worked the Gamecocks for seven free passes in game two, but a Shelby Gonzales two-run home run gave USC a 2-1 lead in the fourth it wouldn’t relinquish, despite a feisty Gator squad.

In game one, an Ashlyn Masters sacrifice fly and Chelsea Hawkins RBI single up the middle gave the Gamecocks an early 2-0 lead after the first frame, but the Gators battled back in the fourth with three hits and a two spot on the scoreboard to knot things up between the two clubs.

Tofft first connected with a one-out RBI double in the top of the fourth to plate Merritt, who set things up with her seventh double of the season. Both Tofft and Merritt hit the same sweet spot in left center at Beckham Field before Haeger delivered a RBI single up the middle to bring Tofft across the dish for the 2-2 tie ballgame.

The Gators kept the rally going in the fifth with a sophomore Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) leadoff double, her second in as many days, while sophomore Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) bunted her over to third. South Carolina starting pitcher Audrey Broyles was successful in holding the Gators scoreless, though, with a strikeout and fly out at the top of the order to take the game to the bottom of the inning.

With USC threatening in the bottom of the fifth with two runners on board and no outs after a pair of HBP, the Gators traded Haeger in the circle for Rogers, who was effective in retiring the next three Carolina batters after a sac bunt, line out and ground out to Medina at short stop.

A 2-2 tie ballgame made the final two frames. Following a scoreless sixth for both squads, USC relief hurler and Friday night starter Julie Sarratt retired the Gators in order in the top of the seventh, and after a one-out single for Kristen Struett in the bottom of the seventh, Florida turned an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play to force extras.

With two down in the top of the eighth, Merritt’s fourth long ball of the season cleared the right-field fence to take the Gators ahead, 3-2, and proving to be the game-winner, her fourth blast of the season.

A Shelby Gonzales two-out double to the right-center gap made things interesting in the bottom of the eighth, but Rogers fanned Gamecock Codee Yeske, her third K of the game, for the third out in the bottom of the eighth for the Gator victory.

In game two, the Gators grinded, first plating one run in the top of the fourth after Little and Medina started a rally by drawing one out walks. The duo chased Sarratt from the circle as South Carolina brought Katie Marks on. Next, Little and Medina moved to third and second, respectively, on a Shelby Gonzales passed ball before Little scampered home on a Marks wild pitch for the 1-0 Florida lead.

Carolina battled back though, using a Shelby Gonzales two-run homer, the eventual game-winner, in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead of Florida, 2-1, heading to the fifth inning.

The Gators didn’t back down, as Merritt knocked a leadoff double to center in the fifth and moved to third on a passed ball for a runner in scoring position with no outs. Marks fanned Tofft and forced Haeger and senior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) to pop up to keep UF off the scoreboard. Rogers went to work in the bottom of the inning to sit the side down, including some stellar defensive plays, highlighted by a diving catch in foul territory for Little in left field.

In the sixth, Florida went three up, three down in the top half of the inning, while Kristen Struett led off the home half of the inning with a double, but Rogers successfully retired the side after to bring up the seventh.

Forida showed fight, working to bases loaded with just three outs to work with. The Gators first capitalized on a South Carolina fielding error to put sophomore pinch hitter Jess Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) on board before Stewart laid down a bunt single. Two consecutive outs brought Haeger to the plate and the Gamecocks opted to intentionally walk UF’s home-run hitter for bases loaded to bring up Horton. Facing a full count, Horton was called out on a checked swing, stranding three runners on for the Orange and Blue.

Marks (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) picked up the win in the circle to improve to 8-7 for the Gamecocks, while Rogers (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) shouldered just her fifth loss of the season to move to 28-5 on the year.

No. 4 Northwestern Downs No. 2 Florida lacrosse in ALC Title Game

No. 2 Florida lacrosse had no answer for No. 4 Northwestern as it fell in the American Lacrosse Conference title game, 8-3, on Sunday at Homewood Field. Florida (17-2) will now await tonight’s selection show at 9 p.m. to learn its place in the NCAA Tournament.

Three different Gators scored on the afternoon and senior goalie Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) stopped six shots but it wasn’t enough as Northwestern outshot UF 24-9 with the difference makers coming on draws. The Wildcats (17-2) powered over the Gators on the draw 10-3 and won all six draws in the first half. It was a much different contest than two weeks ago in Gainesville where Florida overwhelmed Northwestern 22-4, as it produced its lowest scoring total of the season on Sunday.

“I have to give credit to Northwestern for coming in with a great game plan, and they were the better team today,” Head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “We knew possession was going to be a big part of this game and they just dominated on the draws. So we go back to the drawing board to see where we need to improve, and there is a whole postseason yet to be played.”

Northwestern struck first on a Kelly Rich goal with a little over two minutes burned off the clock.  Senior attack Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.) retaliated for the Orange and Blue to knot things up at 1-1 on a free position 7:26 seconds into the game. 

Florida took a 2-1 lead on a Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.) goal assisted by sophomore midfielder Shannon Gilroy (Northport, N.Y.) but that would be it for the Gators in the half as NU took a 3-2 advantage at the break.

Back-to-back goals out of the break put the Wildcats up 5-2 before Ashley Bruns wrapped around the crease to make it a two-goal game with 18:52 to play. Northwestern remained patient on the offensive end and recorded the final three goals of the game to seal the win.

Senior defender Sam Farrell (Millersville, Md.) stepped up for Florida on the defensive side, recording four caused turnovers and three ground balls.

Farrell, Meagher and senior midfielder Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) also earned spots on the All-Tournament team.

The Gators will learn their postseason fate and location for the NCAA Tournament at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com as the top eight seeds will host first round action beginning on May 10 & 12. Stay tuned to Twitter (@GatorZoneLax) and Facebook (Facebook.com/FloridaLacrosse) for up to the minute info on the NCAA Tournament selection show.

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No. 2/3 Softball Blanks No. 23 Georgia, 5-0, Wins Seventh SEC Series in Regular-Season Home Finale

Junior ace Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) hurled a two-hit shutout, while freshman first baseman Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and sophomore designated player Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) accounted for No. 2/3 Florida’s five runs in the rubber game between the Gators and the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs in front of 1,725 Orange and Blue-clad fans Sunday.

UF’s 5-0 victory gave the Orange and Blue 17 shutouts on the year, Rogers’ eighth in the circle, and a seventh series win in Southeastern Conference play as the Gators improved to 47-6 overall, 16-5 through the league slate, having won all their conference series thus far. With the second and third games of the Tennessee | Arkansas series cancelled due to inclement weather in Knoxville Sunday, Tennessee (15-4, .789), Florida (16-5, .762) and LSU (15-6, .714) round out the top three institutions in the standings heading into the final regular-season weekend May 3-5,  with both SEC Tournament seeding and the regular-season title up for grabs.

The No. 3/2 Lady Vols will visit No. 11 Missouri next weekend, the Gators face the Gamecocks on the road in Columbia and No. 12 LSU will head to Athens to finish up conference play at No. 23 Georgia.

The Gators blanked the Bulldogs Sunday for the first time since a March 11, 2009, doubleheader, when UF shut out UGA both games. After Georgia took a 3-2 win Friday to open the set, Florida battled back on Senior Day Saturday with a 5-2 win before Sunday’s 5-0 victory, as UF celebrated its two seniors, Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) in the Gators’ home finale this weekend.

The Orange and Blue improved to 11-4 (.733) against top-25 competition with the series clincher against the Dawgs as more UF records toppled at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Schwarz ripped UF’s school-record 18th triple of the year in the third, while classmate Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) connected for a base hit in her career and team-best 11th straight game, now just two hits shy of tying Florida’s freshman single-season record 75.

Rogers improved to a staggering 26-4 in the circle, tops in the SEC, lowering her season ERA to 1.38 (1.60 SEC).

Haeger turned in a 3-for-3 performance in the series finale with Georgia, while Stewart was 1-for-4, Schwarz 1-for-3 and Horton1-for-2 with a walk to pace UF’s six-hit effort.

Schwarz first forced a UGA defensive error in the first that turned into two Gator runs before drilling a two-RBI triple down the right-field line for UF’s two third-inning runs. Haeger went yard in the fifth with a solo shot, accounting for UF’s fifth and final run of the day, as Florida scattered its scores in three different frames.

In the initial stanza, the Gators took advantage of a bases-loaded situation, while also capitalizing on a Georgia defensive miscue at third to plate its first two runs. Florida juiced the bags on a freshman Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) one-out walk before Haeger sent a two-out infield single up the middle. Next up, Horton drew one of UF’s four walks for ducks on the pond to put the pressure on the UGA defense. A Schwarz grounder to third went under the defender’s glove and through her legs, allowing both Merritt and Haeger to scamper home for the 2-0 Gator lead.

After zeros on the board through the next inning and a half, Schwarz struck again in the bottom of the third for the Gators with a two-out two-RBI triple down the right-field line, her second three-bagger of the season, to give Florida a 4-0 advantage.

In the fifth, and facing a full count from Morgan Montemayor – on in relief of starter Chelsea Wilkinson in the circle for UGA – Haeger ripped her team-leading 16th bomb over the left-field fence for the Gators, extending UF’s lead, 5-0.

Rogers (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 BB, 3 K) settled in nicely as the contest went on, using two of her three strikeouts in the top of the sixth, while relying on her defense to go to work. Florida turned two double plays Sunday, three on the weekend. Georgia’s Tess Sito and Anna Swafford accounted for the Dawgs’ two hits on the afternoon, Swafford in the fourth and Sito in the fifth.

Wilkinson (3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) shouldered the loss (6-4), while Montemayor (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) finished out the game for the Bulldogs.

Gammel and Horton closed out their final regular season weekend at home with a career record of 200-42 (.826), including a 78-23 (.772) mark in SEC play. The duo has made two Women’s College World Series appearances and helped led Florida to the national runner-up spot in 2011 in Oklahoma City. Horton, a 2013 Senior CLASS Award Finalist and recipient of a $5K scholarship from the SEC as part of the Brad Davis Award for community service, and Gammel have both shined for the Gators on and off the field, in the classroom and in the community, embodying what it means to be both a student and athlete. Both Kelsey and Ensley are team captains this year.

Florida Tennis Teams To Host NCAA First and Second Rounds

The University of Florida men's and women's tennis teams both were chosen as one of 16 hosts of their respective NCAA First and Second Round Championship matches, the NCAA Committee announced on Tuesday afternoon from Indianapolis.

The event will run from May 10 to 12 at UF's Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.  

The Gator men will host two first round matches on Friday, May 10 and a second round contest on Saturday, May 11, while the women will play their first round matches on Saturday and the second round on the Sunday, May 12. The winning team from each of the regionals advances to Urbana, Ill., for the NCAA Round of 16 and beyond.

This season the University of Illinois plays host to the combined men's and women's tournament from the round of 16 through the final. The men's Round of 16 begins on Thursday, May 16, while women's action gets underway on Friday, May 17.

The Gator women, who are the two-time defending NCAA champions, received the No. 1 seed in the 64-team draw. Florida (22-2) faces Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion Marist College (11-7) for the first time in program history in its NCAA First Round contest on Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. ET. The other NCAA Women’s First Round match played in Gainesville features No. 22-ranked Georgia Tech (14-9), which earned an at-large berth after finishing fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), versus No. 37-ranked and Ivy League automatic qualifier Yale (17-3) on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The winning teams from those first-round matches meet in the second round on Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

UF has hosted first and second round matches every year since the NCAA Women's Championships expanded its field to 64 teams in 1999.

The Florida women's team is making its 31st appearance in the 32-year history of the NCAA Championships, missing only the 1986 event. The Gators won NCAA team titles in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2011 ad 2012 and have advanced to at least the NCAA Semifinals 21 times in the last 25 years.

“We play really well at home and we’re excited to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Championship again,” said UF women’s head coach Roland Thornqvist, who has guided the Gators to the 2003, 2011 and 2012 national championships. “It will be final time for our two seniors Lauren (Embree) and Caroline (Hitimana) to play here in front of our crowd and I hope our fans will come out to support them and the rest of the team.

“Our players are use to having that bulls-eye on their back,” said Thornqvist of being the No. 1 seed. “That’s one of the neat things of this year is that almost all of our players have played up a position or two in the lineup from year’s past so not only have they had to adjust to playing with the bulls-eye that we feel like we have every time we play, but doing so playing up in the lineup and our players have handled that well.”

The Florida women’s team is one of nine SEC schools in the 2013 field, with Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss also being chosen to play host to a regional as the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 seeds, respectively. Of the other 15 seeds, the Gators faced six of them during the regular season. Florida played 17 of its 24 matches this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament field of 64 and posted a 15-2 record versus those clubs.

The Gator men, ranked No. 15 with a 15-10 overall record, will host the first two rounds on May 10-11, holding the top seed in the Gainesville regional. Florida will play Denver (11-11) in the opening round with the winner of the match to face the winner of 18th-ranked Cal (14-9) and Florida State (18-10).

“We are really looking forward to the NCAA Tournament,” said men’s head coach Bryan Shelton. “This is the time to show just how far we have come this year. It's great to have a week and a half still to prepare for the tournament. Having the opportunity to host the first two rounds is a big deal to our team and our fans. We have had tremendous support throughout this season from our boosters and our community, and we are counting on them to help us advance.”

Florida faces Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after the Pioneers claimed the WAC Championship to claim the conference’s automatic bid. Cal earned an at-large bid after finishing tied for second in the Pac-12. Florida State also earned an at-large bid after finished tied for seventh in the ACC.

The Gators are one of eight SEC teams to host a regional on the men’s side, joined by third-seed Georgia, sixth-seed Ole Miss, seventh-seed Tennessee, eight-seed Kentucky, 10-seed Mississippi State, 12-seed Texas A&M and 16-seed Vanderbilt. Alabama, Auburn, LSU and South Carolina also made the field of 64.