Sunday March 27, 2011No. 2 Gator Softball Falls to No. 3 Georgia, 5-1, in Series Finale
Gainesville, Fla.
The No. 2 Gator softball team fell to No.3 Georgia, 5-1, in the
final game of the weekend Sunday to close out the SEC Eastern Division series.
Senior Megan Bush’s (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) solo home run in the fifth
accounted for UF’s sole run of the day, while junior Michelle
Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) and senior Aja
Paculba (Wildomar,
Calif.) were both 1-for-3 on the day to tally UF’s
second and third hits against Georgia. Florida moved to 30-4 on the season (7-3
SEC), while UGA improved to 27-4 (8-3 SEC).
Freshman righty Hannah Rogers (Winter Haven, Fla.) moved
to16-2 as she chalked up the loss for the Gators, working a complete game.
Rogers gave up nine hits and five runs, while striking out three in the
contest.
Georgia’s Morgan Montemayor tallied
her third win of the series for the Bulldogs, giving up just three hits and one
run, while tossing six Ks in 7.0 innings.
Behind Montemayor’s efforts, UGA
scattered one run in the first, and two in the fourth and fifth to account for
the Bulldogs’ five runs. Georgia tallied one run in the first that began with a
single by Taylor Schlopy. The centerfielder then
stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a single by Brianna Hesson.
After both teams were held scoreless and hitless in the next two
innings, the Bulldogs added two runs in the fourth to go up 3-0. Ashley Razey reached on a fielder’s choice and Kristyn
Sandberg singled before hustling around the bases to score on a double to the
right-field wall by Brittany Hubbard. Hubbard tried to come home on a single by
Laura Trout that sailed past Rogers, but sophomore catcher Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif.) tagged her out at the
plate, thanks to an assist by Moultrie’s toss from center field.
Georgia hit its sixth home run of the series in the top of the
fifth to add two more to their lead. Alisa Goler
homered to right field to knock in herself and Ashley Pauly,
who reached on a base hit, putting the Bulldogs up 5-0.
Florida saw its only run in the bottom of the fifth; a solo shot
by Bush over the center-field fence. The first baseman’s 16th homer of the
season marked the first time this year Florida has only scored one run. Bush’s
homer marked the 60th of her career, one shy of 2010 senior Francesca Enea’s UF and Southeastern Conference record 61. On the
weekend, Bush tallied three of UF’s six homers, while
senior Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) accounted
for one and Paculba and freshman Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) also added one apiece. Scoreless
sixth and seventh innings resulted in the final, 5-1, in favor of the Bulldogs.
The series sweep for Georgia marked the first time since 2006
the Gators have been swept at home when they also fell to UGA April 15,
2006. Florida was last swept March 18, 2007, when LSU took three in Baton
Rouge.
The Gators host USF
for a mid-week tilt on Wednesday at 6 p.m. from Katie Seashole
Pressly Stadium. For the third Gators/Bulls match up
of the season, fans can listen live on the radio to 105 ‘The Game’ to Adam
Schick or tune in on television with coverage by Fox Sports-Florida with the
call by Larry Vettel and Kristina Hilberth.
Fans follow online via Gametracker by following the
link on www.GatorZone.com.
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