The No. 2
University of Florida softball team (56-2, 24-1 SEC) set two more school
records as they completed the series sweep of Auburn (34-19, 10-14, SEC) on Sunday
afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly
Stadium. In the 10-1, five inning win the team set a new
school record for home runs in a season with 50 and junior pitcher Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
recorded her 35th win in the circle, besting her own school record.
Florida hit two home runs in the game, one by junior Kim Waleszonia
(Fontana, Calif.)
to lead off the first inning and one by junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.)
in the third. Waleszonia’s home run tied the school
record of 49, set by the 2007 squad, while Gardiner’s set the new standard.
Home runs
were not the only order of the day for the Florida offense, as the team tallied 11 hits
on the day, including six for extra bases. Three Gators finished the day with
perfect batting averages. Sophomore Francesca
Enea (Woodland
Hills, Calif.)
finished the day 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Junior Kristina Hilberth
(Dunedin, Fla.)
and freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) each finished 2-for-2. Paculba hit a double, scored three runs and drove in two
RBI, while Hilberth hit a triple, scored one run and
drove in a team high three RBI.
Nelson
held Auburn to
only two hits, while striking out seven batters to improve to a school record
35-2 on the season. Her 35 wins tops her own school record of 34, set last
season with the win over Texas A&M in the second game of Super Regional
play.
Though Auburn got on board first, Florida came back to score at least two runs
in every offensive inning except the fourth. Waleszonia’s
home run, her first of the season, to lead off the Gator half of the first set
the tone for the game. Paculba and Gardiner drew
back-to-back walks. An Enea base hit loaded the
bases. With one out, freshman Tiffany DeFelice (Coral
Springs, Fla.) hit a
sacrifice fly to score Paculba for the 2-1 Gator
lead. Freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.)
reached on an error to again load the bases. Hilberth’s
bases clearing triple made the Gator lead 5-1. Angel Brunner entered the game
to replace Auburn starter Lauren Schmalz in the circle to get the final out of the inning.
Florida started at the top of the order
again in the bottom of the second. With one out, Paculba
knocked her 10th double of the season to left center. Gardiner reached on a
fielder’s choice that left both runners safe. Enea’s
base hit through the left side scored Paculba. A
ground out moved both runners into scoring position. DeFelice
earned her second RBI of the day as she plated Gardiner with a base hit.
The third
inning saw three more runs cross the plate and put the Gators in the lead by
nine runs. Hilberth led off the inning with a base
hit to center. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Corrie Brooks (Christmas, Fla.) and on to third on a ground out by Waleszonia. Paculba’s single up
the middle plated Hilberth for the 8-1 lead. Gardiner’s
home run tipped off the very top of the fence in center field for the final two
runs of the game to give Florida
the 10-1 victory.
Florida’s final hit of the game came in the fourth as junior Le-Net Franklin (Belton, Texas)
laced a double to left center for her first extra base hit of the season.
Auburn’s only run came
in the top of the first. Myesha Finney led off with an infield base
hit and moved to second on a Kyndall White sacrifice.
With two outs, Alicia Hunolt singled down the right
field line to score Finney.
With one
out in the top of the fifth, head coach Tim Walton called senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) to the dug out, as she was playing in
her final regular season home game. Ratliff received a standing ovation from
her teammates and all the Gator fans.
Florida plays its final regular season games next week as it
travels to Knoxville, Tenn. to face the Tennessee Volunteers.
Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. The first game of the doubleheader
will air live on Cox Sports Television. Please contact your local cable provider
for channel information.