SB: Freshman Olivia Miller hurls second perfect game of season
Photo by Brian Fox | ChompTalk

Freshman Olivia Miller once again made history on the mound for the Gators Saturday afternoon.

She became the first player in program history to throw not one but two perfect games in a season.

In her first perfect game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, Miller faced 18 batters through six innings until the Gators enforced the run-rule to end the game in the bottom of the sixth against the Lafayette Leopards.

Propelling her team to a 8-0 victory, Miller looked collected and calm with short bursts of excitement following the end of each 1-2-3 inning.

“I was just like, continue to fire it in there, and my defense will back me up,” Miller said postgame.

She said she did not expect a transition into college play this seamless and credits it all to her coaches.

She recorded three strikeouts with no walks, hits, runs or errors.

Right fielder Katie Kistler secured Miller’s perfect bid with an impressive grab to end the top of the sixth inning.

After that play, “I was actually so grateful; I started tearing up,” Miller said.

The offense was hot, led by Skylar Wallace with 3 RBI. Reagan Walsh recorded two RBI of her own with three other Gators hitting at least one.

The Gators finished game one with their 13th win this season.

Game two resembled batting practice for the Gators as they outscored the Colgate Raiders 21-0.

Ten Gators hit at least one RBI as they totaled 19 hits against Colgate’s pitching staff.

Reagan Walsh became the first player since Bailey Castro in 2013 to hit two home runs in a single inning.

She first went yard on a two-run bomb with Kistler on base. Her next time up, she scored Brooke Barnard and and Baylee Goddard on a three-run home run to left field.

“Honestly, I was just looking for a pitch to drive,” Walsh said in postgame interviews.

Castro did the same on April 18, 2013, against Ole Miss.

Another notable performance included Wallace, who went 2-3 with a home run, triple and 3 RBI.

Ava Brown had a stellar day on the mound herself. She threw four complete innings of perfect baseball until a Colgate runner reached on a single in the top of the fifth.

The mercy run-rule ended the game after the top of the fifth.

Brown finished with two hits, five strikeouts, no walks and no runs.

The Gators (14-2) conclude their weekend Sunday, the final day of the T-Mobile Tournament, at 11:30 a.m. against UIC at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville.

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