After bouncing back to .500 in conference play last weekend, No. 15 Florida defeated UNF 6-1 Wednesday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators improve to 29-10 overall and 18-3 at home.
Florida shortstop Skylar Wallace extended her home-game hit streak to 10 as the redshirt junior went 2-3 with a walk and her eighth triple this season — leads the nation.
Following a pair of scoreless frames, the Gators hopped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Wallace scored on second baseman Reagan Walsh’s sacrifice fly before center fielder Kendra Falby scored on a wild pitch. With two outs, sophomore designated player Sam Roe revealed bunt before she lined an RBI double into the right-center gap.
An inning later, Falby hit a sacrifice fly down the left field line in foul territory to extend Florida’s advantage. With two away in the sixth, redshirt senior Bryn Thomas pinch hit for Falby before she and third baseman Charla Echols strung together back-to-back RBI doubles into left-center.
In the circle, Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower made her 18th start this year and pitched five shutout innings. In the top of the sixth, Hightower handed the ball over to sophomore right-hander Lexie Delbrey, who dealt a one-two-three inning.
Delbrey conceded a leadoff walk and a single to begin the seventh inning before senior southpaw Rylee Trlicek came in for relief. Trlicek gave up an RBI double to break the shutout — which counted as Delbrey’s earned run — but the Texas native recorded three straight outs to secure the win.
Box Score
UNF: 1 / 2 / 0
Florida: 6 / 11 / 0
Pitching Decision
Win: Hightower (13-5)
Loss: Arends (0-3)
Individual Stats
RHP Hightower: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Delbrey: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Trlicek: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
- SS Wallace: 2-3, 2 R, BB
- CF Falby: 2-2, 2 R, RBI
- PH Thomas: 1-1, RBI
- 3B Echols: 1-4, RBI
- 2B Walsh: 1-3, RBI
- RF Egan: 1-2, R, BB
- DP Roe: 1-2, RBI
- LF Kistler: 0-2
- C Longley: 2-3, R
- 1B: A. Goelz: 0-2
Rivalry Series On Deck
Florida will return to the diamond Friday to welcome rival No. 12 Georgia for a three-game series. The Bulldogs are second in the SEC (11-3) and will look for their third straight shutout victory against the Gators. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m.