Gators Trounced by UCLA

Florida suffered its first loss of the season on Wednesday. The No. 3 Gators (18-1) fell 7-1 to the No. 2 UCLA Bruins (15-0) out in Fullerton, CA before heading into play for the Judi Garman Classic.

The loss is the first of four ranked matchups UF will have during this week out in California. It could be an indication of what is to come during the Judi Garman Classic.

Tim Walton’s squad found itself down early thanks to a double by Aaliyah Jordan to score Briana Perez and give UCLA a 1-0 lead in the first. The Bruins would tack on three more in the second and another trio of runs in the fourth to keep the Gators at bay.

The hit that put the Bruins on the board!

Aaliyah Jordan getting it done.@UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/uIa2kiXbON

— FloSoftball (@FloSoftball) February 28, 2019

Missed Opportunities

Florida ended the game with a combined nine runners left on base. The Gators struggled to push runners across the plate when given the opportunity, they abandoned seven different runners in scoring position with a combined 0-for-8 performance in those situations.

Conversely, the Bruins combined to go 5-for-11 with RISP, including a three-run home run by Rachel Garcia.

UF’s lone run was scored off this double by second baseman Hannah Adams.

https://twitter.com/FloSoftball/status/1100971941215662080

Kendyl Lindaman was a bright spot for Florida with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. She entered the game batting .200 (2-for-10) in her last four games.

A Tale of Two Pitchers

UCLA’s lineup battered Kelly Barnhill while its number three pitcher dazzled in the circle against a Florida squad that averages around seven runs per game. Kelly Inouye-Perez’s team tagged Florida’s ace to the tune of four earned runs in just two innings of work. Meanwhile, Holly Azevedo recorded eight strikeouts in five innings of one-run ball.

Those eight punchouts are a career-high for the sophomore San Jose native.

Freshman Danni Farley relieved Barnhill in the third and tossed a scoreless inning. She ran into a buzz saw in the fourth in the form of Rachel Garcia. UCLA’s two-way star launched Farley’s pitch into left for a three-run shot. She finished the day 4-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs.

So. Dirty.

Holly Azevedo is out huntin’ gators.@UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/BWr0Z7qarQ

— FloSoftball (@FloSoftball) February 28, 2019

Katie Chronister came in to finish the game pitching 1.2 innings of one-hit ball.

Megan Faraimo hurled the last two innings for UCLA continuing the dominance Azevedo started. She allowed two hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five Gators to close out UCLA’s 15th victory.

What’s Next?

Florida will see more ranked PAC-12 opponents in the Judi Garman Classic over the weekend. It faces No. 20 Oregon Thursday afternoon, has a rematch with the Bruins on Friday and comes back Friday night to take on No. 5 Washington.

All games can be streamed online through a subscription with FloSoftball.