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When freshman lefty Rylee Trlicek trotted out for her second inning with a four-run lead over No. 10 Louisiana on Saturday, it remained to be seen if she could stonewall elite softball programs on a consistent basis.

Her contact-style worked in a win over No. 7 Arizona, as she allowed only one earned run. It earned her a close loss against No. 1 UCLA, where she was given a tight four-inning leash despite letting in just two runs, none earned.

Trlicek relinquished a double in the first inning against the Ragin’ Cajuns, and after committing a throwing error that loaded the bases, she couldn’t remain calm. Louisiana rattled-off three consecutive hits to score five runs, and her weekend was over.

Yes, it hurts to watch a freshman be a freshman. But it’s not shocking.

A bad game from a freshman is almost always inevitable at some point, especially when they rattle-off an impressive 7-1 record to start their collegiate careers.

Saturday’s defeat, made Sunday’s repeat blown lead an even tougher pill to swallow—junior Natalie Lugo hurled five scoreless innings before unravelling in the sixth and seventh.

But now, Trlicek and the entire UF pitching staff have adversity to respond to. With an SEC tilt with Auburn just one game away, we see how good this inexperienced pitching staff can be.

Current Record:
17-4 (ranked No. 6 in NFCA Coaches Poll)

Last Week (Monday-Sunday): 1-2
W 6-0 vs. No. 10 Louisiana (Friday)
L 5-7 vs. No. 10 Louisiana (Saturday)
L 6-7 vs. No. 10 Louisiana (Sunday)

Offensive Player of the Week: Kendyl Lindaman

Lindaman was 4 for 9 with five RBIs and two home runs over the weekend. She extended her RBI streak to nine games, seven of which came against Top 25 opponents.

Pitcher of the Week: Katie Chronister

Despite being a senior, Chronsiter only had 45.1 innings of experience in her three previous seasons as a Gator. But 21 games into 2020, she’s already equaled her inning count from last year (10.1). The Gainesville native picked up her first win of the campaign, tossing 3.2 scoreless inning on Friday. She did give up a critical run due to a wild pitch on Saturday, but just one run over 7.1 total innings is a fantastic contribution.

Upcoming Games:
Home vs. Florida Gulf Coast (Wednesday, 6 p.m.)
Home vs. Auburn (Friday, 6 p.m.)
Home vs. Auburn (Saturday, 6 p.m.)
Home vs. Auburn (Sunday, 3 p.m.)

Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.