After she held USF scoreless through six frames, Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower yielded a pair of baserunners in the top of the seventh before southpaw Katie Chronister entered the circle with only one out.
Chronister faced Bulls first baseman Bethaney Keen who singled up the middle to break the Gators’ combined no-hitter. But Florida center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey, catcher Julia Cottrill and third baseman Charla Echols pulled off a miraculous 8-2-5 double play to escape the jam.
In the bottom half of the inning, Lindsey hit a leadoff single off USF pitcher Georgina Corrick and scored the game-winning run all the way from first base on second baseman Hannah Adams’s double to the center-field wall.
After it defeated the Bulls four times in the regular season, No. 4 Florida opened its NCAA Regional with a 1-0 walk-off victory over USF Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Hightower made her fourth consecutive start to begin the postseason and allowed just one baserunner prior to the seventh inning via a walk. On offense, the Gators stranded at least one baserunner each inning until the bottom of the seventh.
Final (R/H/E)
USF: 0 / 1 / 1
#4 UF: 1 / 7 / 1
Pitching Decision
Win: Chronister (10-2)
Loss: Corrick (22-8)
Individual Stats
Hightower: 6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Chronister: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
- Adams: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B, HBP
- Lindaman: 1-3
- Echols: 1-2, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 SB
- Cottrill: 0-3, 1 K
- Wilkie: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 HBP
- Hoover: 1-3, 1 K
- Goddard: 0-2, 1 HBP
- Longley: 0-2
- Lindsey: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B
Gainesville Regional
The Gators will face South Alabama Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN3.
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