Gators Softball Drops Both Sides of Friday Doubleheader

The Gators dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the Alabama Crimson Tide Friday night.

Florida lost a close Game 1 by a score of 3-1 and couldn’t bounce back and lost Game 2 6-1.

The losses snap an eight-game winning streak by Florida and drops the team to 9-8 in SEC play.

Alabama takes the series. We'll be back here at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium tomorrow at 2 p.m. pic.twitter.com/gkibNQlBee

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) April 20, 2019

Tim Walton on the difference in competition

Staying in the Game

Florida’s pitching and defense kept the team in both games.

Game 2 was 1-1 until Skylar Wallace’s home run in the fifth. It was 3-1 going into the final frame when Alabama tacked on three insurance runs.

Kelly Barnhill (25-7) wasn’t the sharpest in her Game 1 start. She pitched 5.1 innings while walking four and striking out six.

She threw what appeared to be changeups that were explained later by Walton to be bad riseballs.

Elizabeth Hightower started Game 2. She walked four Bama hitters and struck out none over 4.1 innings. But only surrendered two earned runs.

Stranded Gators

Fifteen total Gators reached base but couldn’t come around to score Friday night.

Florida combined to 1-for-13 with runners on base in Game 2 and was 1-for-6 in Game 1.

“Had a bad day and lost two today instead of one,” Walton said.

Kendyl Lindaman and Amanda Lorenz drove in Florida’s two runs on the day. Lorenz scored both of them.

Lindaman doubled in the first inning of Game 1 to score Lorenz from first to take a 1-0 lead. Lorenz went big fly in the third of Game 2 to tie it 1-1.

The Gators drew eight walks in Game 2, three of which led off an inning. Each leadoff walk was followed by three straight outs.

What’s Next?

Florida is back at it again on Saturday for the series finale against the Tide at 2 p.m.

That game will be shown on ESPN as the Gators try to salvage and avoid being swept for the first time this season.