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Junior right-hander Elizabeth Hightower picked up her sixth win Wednesday night as Florida improved to 13-0 — its hottest start since 2016.

“[Hightower’s] a quiet, confident hard worker,” head coach Tim Walton said. “But she’s not somebody who really talks about herself or brags about herself. She just works.”

After climbing to No. 5 in both major polls this week, the Gators scored four first-inning runs en route to a 6-2 victory over New Mexico State.

Following a leadoff single and walk, Florida catcher Julia Cottrill drove in the first run of the game on a double into the left-center gap. With two outs and runners in scoring position, left fielder Jamie Hoover hit a three-run bomb over the right-center-field wall to grant the Gators an early advantage.

New Mexico State answered with back-to-back hits in the top of the second to cut the deficit to 4-1. Florida left-hander Rylee Trlicek punched out the leadoff hitter before surrendering a single and an RBI-double on the ensuing at-bats.

In the top of the third, Hightower replaced the sophomore southpaw after Trlicek yielded two baserunners without recording an out. In relief, Hightower produced an infield fly and a foul out before striking out the final batter looking to escape the jam.

Walton explains how Hightower has worked on the consistency of her mechanics with assistant coach Mike Bosch. “They’ve got [Hightower] using her lower half of her body a lot better, her timing is much improved, she’s more consistent and with that comes her speed changes.”

After teeing off Aggies pitcher Felicia De La Torre in the opening frame, Florida put up goose eggs until the bottom of the sixth inning. Freshman right fielder Katie Kistler drew a four-pitch, leadoff walk before she stole second and advanced to third on freshman pinch-hitter Emily Wilkie’s sacrifice bunt.

On the next at-bat, center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey drove in Kistler on a sacrifice fly to center field. Second baseman Hannah Adams capped off the scoring with a two-out solo shot to right field — her third hit of the night and second home run in the past week.

“[Hannah’s] always had a great A+ glove, but to have the ability to step up and be a big-time performer in a lot of games, . . . I’m really proud of her,” Walton said.

After escaping the second-inning jam, Hightower retired nine of the next 11 batters she faced until Aggies first baseman Kayla Bowen took the junior yard in the top of the seventh. Following the leadoff dinger, senior right-hander Natalie Lugo got three quick outs to secure Florida’s win.

Final (R+H+E)

New Mexico State: 2-5-0

No. 5 Florida: 6-6-1

Pitching Decision

Win: Hightower (6-0)

Loss: De La Torre (1-3)

Save: Lugo (2)

Individual Stats

RHP Hightower: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (0.83/0.59 season ERA/WHIP)

LHP Trlicek: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (0.88/1.13)

RHP Lugo: (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1.57/0.85)

2B Adams: 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (.512/.588/.780 season slash line)

C Cottrill: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B (.219/.286/.281)

LF Hoover: 1-3, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR (.387/.459/.484)

CF Lindsey: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 2B (.457/.487/.714)

Rivalry Weekend

The Gators will carry their momentum into this weekend’s home-and-home series against in-state rival No. 16 Florida State. Florida will host the Seminoles Friday at 3:30 before the teams meet in Tallahassee Saturday night at 6. Friday’s game will air on the SEC Network.

As the Gators prepare for their first ranked opponent, they still have room for improvement. “We’ve got to get better offensively,” Walton said. “I still believe our offense is way better than it is right now.”