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The second ranked Florida softball team added two more wins to their 2018 record, putting them at 3-0. Florida defeated No. 18 Michigan, 2-0, and Georgia State, 11-0, during the second day of the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament.
Florida (3-0) vs. Michigan (2-1)
The Gators handed Michigan their first loss of the season Saturday.
Sophia Reynoso’s single to center field brought Janell Wheaton and Alex Voss home in the bottom of the fourth inning. The red shirt sophomore’s two RBI single brought in the only two runs of the entire game. Wheaton hit a single and Voss got on base after she drew a walk.
B4 | The #Gators strike first with a 2 RBI single from @GatorSo74 ‼️@janell_wheaton & @AlexVossy score on the play.#GoGators 🐊 #TheEdge pic.twitter.com/uyILKsrKT6
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 10, 2018
Kelly Barnhill, the starting pitcher, threw for two innings only allowing two hits. The junior threw 37 pitches, 29 of which were strikes. Aleshia Ocasio came in relief of Barnhill in the third inning and Alex Voss played center field in place of Ocasio. Pitching for the remaining five innings, Ocasio only allowed three hits during Michigan’s 18 visits to the plate. The senior finished the game, throwing a total of 40 strikes out of 52 pitches. She also struck out four batters.
#Gators Win‼️ No. 2 Florida defeats No. 18 Michigan 💪#GoGators 🐊 #TheEdge pic.twitter.com/urufeefDqT
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 10, 2018
Florida (3-0) vs. Georgia State (0-3)
The Gators defeated Georgia State 11-0, as the Gators have shut out their first three opponents to start the 2018 season.
Barnhill started in the circle once again. She pitched three innings allowing only one hit. Megan Litumbe’s hit was Georgia State’s only hit of the game. Out of 10 at bats, Barnhill struck out a pair of Panthers. Freshman Natalie Lugo pitched the final two innings in her collegiate debut. Lugo struck out two batters without allowing a Panther to reach base.
Gators At Bat
Offensively, the Gators scored 11 runs on nine hits. Jordan Roberts broke open the game early with an RBI single to left center to bring in Amanda Lorenz. Lorenz also scored a second run and had an RBI. Freshman Hannah Adams also scored a pair of runs.
In the second inning the Gators scored seven runs. Seniors Kayli Kvistad, Aleshia Ocasio and Nicole DeWitt combined for six of the RBIs.
T2 | @AleshiaOcasio with the three-run blast puts the #Gators ahead 9-0‼️#GoGators 🐊 #TheEdge pic.twitter.com/hSvtqEhJjH
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 10, 2018
Wrapping Up the Tournament
The Gators return to action tomorrow with another pair of games against UAB (1:30 p.m.) and host school USF (4:15 p.m.). Gator coach Tim Walton knows the Gators will have to play well to win.
“Tomorrow is going to be a tough day,” Walton said. “Both teams are good offensively and are aggressive on the bases. So we are just going to have to do a good job of coming out and limiting free bases. If we can do that then we are tough to beat, because our pitching is quality.”
