After being swept by No. 3 Tennessee in Knoxville this past weekend, No. 14 Florida lost 5-3 to No. 4 Florida State Wednesday at JoAnne Graf Field in Tallahassee. Following their fourth straight loss, the Gators drop to 32-15 overall and 7-8 on the road.
In the circle, Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower made her 23rd start this season but surrendered five earned runs on five hits and five walks en route to earning her third loss in the last four games.
In the bottom of the fourth, senior southpaw Rylee Trlicek entered the circle in relief after Hightower gave up a two-run double without recording an out. Trlicek pitched the final three frames while yielding only one walk and a pair of singles.
At the dish, the Gators managed only four hits and one walk off the trio of FSU pitchers who appeared in the circle.
Shortstop Skylar Wallace — who earned D1Softball National Player of the Week honors Tuesday after she went 8-13 (.615) with three home runs and seven RBIs last week — ended her 11-game hit streak. But Wallace drew a walk to lead off the game before the redshirt junior stole her 28th base this year — leads the team — and scored on second baseman Reagan Walsh’s sacrifice fly.
Two innings later, Walsh hit a two-out, two-run bomb — her sixth home run this season — to the opposite field to break the Seminoles’ no-hitter and give Florida its second and final lead of the night.
The Sunshine State rivals will meet for a rematch this Wednesday in Gainesville.
Box Score
UF: 3 / 4 / 1
FSU: 5 / 7 / 1
Pitching Decision
Win: DuBois (5-3)
Loss: Hightower (14-9)
Save: Sandercock (7)
Individual Stats
RHP Hightower: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
LHP Trlicek: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
- SS Wallace: 0-3, BB, SB (28)
- 3B Echols: 0-2, RBI
- 2B Walsh: 1-2, 2 RBI, HR (6)
- RF Egan: 0-2, HBP, 2 K
- 1B Wilkie: 1-3, K
- DP Gigante: 0-2, 2 K
- C Longley: 1-3, 2 K
- CF A. Goelz: 0-3, K
- LF Falby: 1-3, K
On Deck
The Gators will return to Gainesville this weekend to welcome Ole Miss for their final home series of the regular season. Florida swept the Rebels last year in Oxford, and Ole Miss won only one of its first six SEC series this season. The Gators maintain a two-game advantage over the Rebels in the conference standings entering the weekend. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. Game two will air on the SEC Network Saturday at 3 p.m.