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Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast as David Soderquist and Brian Fox talk about Emory Jones and all things Florida football with Zach Goodall from Sports Illustrated’s AllGators website.
Jake Hitt then joins the call to share his thoughts and talk the other sports on campus with Brian. If you don’t know, Florida has a lot of programs in post-season action currently.
Click play on the following audio player to listen to this week’s episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast:
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The Gators advance to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals after avenging last loss.
Photo by Faith Buckley
With a pass from Brianna Harris, senior Shannon Kavanagh pulled a 180 for a pop shot into the net. The Gators stood with a seven-point advantage halfway through the first and were just getting started.
The Florida lacrosse team defeated the Jacksonville Dolphins 17-3 Sunday and will move onto the third round of the NCAA Championships.
The dolphins came to Gainesville hungry and stand at a .923 season win percentage. Jacksonville beat the Gators with a 12-11 win on March 13.
They didn’t come motivated enough to beat out Florida again, however.
As always, midfielder Shannon Kavanagh took control on the draw circle and on the offensive. The senior racked in her 17th hat trick of the season and helped Florida lead 15-7 on the draw control. But she was only a small part of the victory.
Grace Haus brought the game back to action with a forceful free position and gave Florida a 10-1 lead nine minutes left in the first.
Fans jumped out of their seats as she ran it back with five minutes in the second period after a Gators goal drought. The senior racked in two consecutive goals only two minutes later on the free position and with a overhand shot, respectively.
She had a staggering seven game goals and now has 62 seasonal goals.
Kassidy Bresnahan put her name in the mix with a quick shot to open the second half 11-2. The goal followed multiple attempts saved by Dayna Martinetto. The senior holds 24 goals for the season.
Harris revitalized the offense ten minutes into the second with a running perimeter shot against Jacksonville goaltender Dayna Martinetto eight before the senior dove to the ground.
Bringing the score 12-3, Harris added onto her heavy seasonal goal record with 47 and took home a hat trick. She also hit the 200th career-point mark with her first point of the game in the first half.
Florida’s goaltending played a vital role in its monstrous win. Sarah Reznick dominated the cage and put up a stellar .750 save percentage with nine saves and three goals allowed. Julia Hammerschlag had no time on the field.
Maeson Tydings left nothing up to chance as the defender pushed Jacksonville attacker upon attacker out of the zone and killed their shot clock with five minutes left in the first.
“We played the full 60 minutes,” said head coach Amanda O’Leary.
With 10 minutes left in the first, Trombetta hit the ground after a brutal impact by two Jacksonville players. She possibly experienced a knee injury. Amanda O’Leary had no update on the matter.
Florida crushed four home runs and Hunter Barco had another solid outing to lead the Gators past Georgia 9-2 on Saturday.
Jud Fabian hit two homers for the third Saturday in a row and stated, “maybe we should wear the blue jerseys every game.” Fabian became just the fifth player in Gators history to reach the 20 homer mark. He is six behind Matt LaPorta (2005) for the single season record.
Florida improved to 35-15 on the season and 17-9 in SEC play.
How It Happened:
Georgia got on the scoreboard first by tacking on a pair of runs in the second inning. Barco stated after the game that he was falling behind hitters in the inning and that was the big adjustment he made moving forward.
Florida rebounded to tie it up as Jacob Young slapped a single to center that scored Kendrick Calilao and Josh Rivera.
The Gators added two more in the third as both Fabian and Calilao went deep to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
But, Fabian wasn’t done. In the fifth frame, he sent another dinger to the berm in left to add to the lead. Josh Rivera would follow with a two run homer later in the inning and the Gators took a 7-2 advantage into the sixth inning.
Rivera would add a two run single to his ledger and complete the scoring.
Barco went 6.1 innings allowing just the two runs and fanning eight on the day. Christian Scott and David Luethje finished the game without allowing a run.
Pitching Decision:
W: Hunter Barco (9-2)
L: Jaden Woods (3-1)
Individual Stats:
Fabian: 2-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Calilao: 2-3, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB
Rivera: 2-3, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
Barco: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 2 BB
On Deck:
Florida will look for the series sweep on Sunday. Franco Aleman will get the start for the Gators. First pitch is slated for noon.
Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower made her third start of the tournament and gave up three runs — two of which were unearned — in the top of the first inning.
Crimson Tide left fielder Alexis Mack poked a leadoff single up the middle and scored the first run on cleanup hitter Jenna Johnson’s bunt single down the third-base line. On the next at-bat, two more runs scored on Florida third baseman Charla Echols’ throwing error.
Alabama right-hander Montana Fouts — the 2021 SEC Co-Pitcher of the Year — started in the circle and dealt her 19th complete game this season. Fouts struck out 11 Gators en route to setting a new SEC Softball Tournament strikeout record (39).
Following a trio of hits in the first two frames, the Gators managed only two baserunners the rest of the game via a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Florida southpaw Katie Chronister relieved Hightower with two outs in the top of the fifth and allowed the final run of the game on shortstop Taylor Clark’s two-out single in the sixth.
Final (R/H/E)
No. 3 Alabama: 4 / 7 / 0
No. 4 Florida: 0 / 3 / 1
Pitching Decision
Win: Fouts (22-3)
Loss: Hightower (16-5)
Individual Stats
Hightower: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Chronister: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Adams: 0-3, 1 K
Wilkie: 0-3, 2 K
Echols: 1-2, 1 BB
Lindaman: 1-3, 2 K
Hoover: 0-3, 3 K
Matthews: 0-2, 2 K
Goddard: 0-2, 1 HBP
Longley: 1-3
Lindsey: 0-2, 1 K
Postseason Continues
The Gators will return to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium where they’ll host an NCAA regional site next weekend (May 21-23). The other three teams competing in Florida’s regional will be determined during the selection show Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
Entering the bottom of the eighth tied at three with rival Georgia, the Gators needed to find a way to put a run on the scoreboard. Shortstop Josh Rivera came through with an RBI single that put Florida ahead.
The Gators needed this win. Florida is still in contention to win the SEC Eastern Division. More importantly, they are a fringe possibility of a national (top 8) seed for the NCAA tournament. Every win matters right now, and every loss hurts even more.
Jack Leftwich would close the game out in the ninth, picking up his seventh win of the season and the Gators topped the Bulldogs 4-3 to open the three game set.
How It Happened:
Florida got on the scoreboard first as Kendrick Calilao crushed a solo homer to the berm in left to put the Gators on top 1-0.
As has been the case all season, Florida couldn’t get the shutdown inning following the run. Georgia responded with a pair of runs in the third to grab a 2-1 lead.
The Gators evened it up in the bottom of the third. Sterlin Thompson doubled to lead off the frame and Cory Acton laid a well executed sacrifice bunt (say what?) to move him to third. Jacob Young followed with an RBI groundout.
Georgia added a run in the fifth, but Florida once again bounced back immediately, this time courtesy of a Young RBI double that brought Acton in.
Pitching was a major story in this one for Florida. A trio of Gators pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts, including ten from Tommy Mace, who made his first Friday night start in over a month.
Mace went 6.2 innings before surrendering a double. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan made the move to Trey Van Der Weide, who came in and struck out the only batter he faced. Leftwich completed the game, striking out five in two innings of work.
Rivera’s big hit came after a walk (Kris Armstrong) and a hit by pitch (Kirby McMullen) and two outs. His single to left found the grass just before it could be caught and allowed Armstrong to cross home plate for the winning run.
Leftwich did have an eventful final inning, allowing two hits to put a runner in scoring position before striking out Joshua McAllister to end the contest.
Pitching Decision:
W: Jack Leftwich (7-3)
L: Ben Harris (4-1)
Individual Stats:
Calilao: 2-3, HR, RBI
Acton: 2-2, SB, R
Young: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Mace: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 10 K, 2 BB
Leftwich: 2 IP, 2 H, 5 K, 0 BB
On Deck:
Florida improved to 34-15 on the season and 16-9 in SEC action. Following losses by Tennessee and Vanderbilt on Friday, the Gators sit just one game back of the Vols and half a game behind the Commodores in the East.
Florida will continue it’s series with Georgia on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM. Hunter Barco (6-0, 3.50 ERA) gets the start for the Gators.
Down 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Florida designated player Kendyl Lindaman dug in with one out and runners in scoring position. On a 2-2 count, the fifth-year Iowan drove a sacrifice fly into left field to knot the game up at six.
The next at-bat, left fielder Jaimie Hoover showed bunt before she pulled back and sent a hard grounder to Missouri shortstop Jenna Laird, who bobbled the ball and failed to throw it over to first in time.
Freshman pinch runner Katie Kistler scored the game-winning run from third base as the Gators pulled off a 7-6 comeback victory in the semifinals Friday.
“I don’t want anybody that watches the game to think that it’s easy to do what our kids can do,” head coach Tim Walton said. “It’s hard as heck.”
Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower started in the circle again and allowed a leadoff single in the top of the first to Mizzou center fielder Brooke Wilmes, who scored the first run of the day on a groundout.
The Gators tied it up in the bottom of the second after Jordan Matthews doubled into left-center and scored on right fielder Baylee Goddard’s one-out single through the left side. An inning later, Lindaman gave Florida its first lead on a two-run home run to left-center — her second of the tournament.
In the bottom of the fifth, third baseman Charla Echols extended the Gators’ advantage to 5-1 when she ripped an RBI double into left before she stole home with two outs.
Florida southpaw Katie Chronister relieved Hightower following a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth and held the Tigers hitless until Mizzou second baseman Kendyll Bailey’s solo homer in the top of the sixth.
Chronister surrendered another run in the top of the seventh after a two-out rally led to an RBI single up the middle. After Missouri cut the deficit to 5-3, Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo entered the circle and gave up a go-ahead three-run bomb to first baseman Emma Raabe.
In the bottom half, Florida second baseman Hannah Adams drew a leadoff walk and catcher Emily Wilkie got hit by pitch before they advanced into scoring position on an Echols groundout. This set up Lindaman’s sac-fly and Hoover’s walk-off heroics.
“Until you’re in that moment, you don’t know how your body is going to respond, you don’t know how your heartbeat is going to respond, you don’t know what your mindset is going to be like,” Walton said. “Having those moments like that is really really beneficial to all of our young people.”
Although she allowed the go-ahead homer, Lugo picked up her 16th win this season, which matches Hightower’s team-high.
Final (R/H/E)
No. 15 Missouri: 6 / 8 / 1
No. 4 Florida: 7 / 8 / 1
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (16-2)
Loss: Nichols (6-3)
Individual Stats
Hightower: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Lugo: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Adams: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Wilkie: 1-2, 1 R, 2 HBP
Echols: 2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB
Lindaman: 1-3, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR (8)
Hoover: 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Matthews: 1-2, 1 2B
Goddard: 1-3, 1 RBI
Longley: 0-3
Lindsey: 1-3
SEC Tournament Championship
Florida will face Alabama in the conference tournament championship Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. The Gators won two out of three road contests against the Crimson Tide in the regular season.
Florida will move on to face Jacksonville on Sunday
Photo by Faith Buckley
Redshirt sophomore Emerson Cabrera threw in a last-second overhand goal and met with the grass shortly after. The redshirt sophomore picked up her first goal of the season and gave the determined Gators a 16-point as they entered the last three minutes of the first half.
Fans cheered, chomped and celebrated from the bleachers of Donald R. Disney Stadium Friday as the Gators beat Mercer University 23-5 in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championships Friday.
Opening the game, Paisley Eagan bolted towards the Mercer net and rammed in a clean free position goal. Only 47 seconds into regulation, and the Gators defended their territory.
Brianna Harris made a stark comeback after a rough check to the back by a Bear in the first half. The senior scored cleanly on the free position three times and notched a hat trick. She holds a staggering 44 goals for the season.
Danielle Pavinelli dipped her toes into the gold mine with a clean shot five minutes into the first and now holds 29 season goals.
Seventeen seconds later, Shelton Sawyers took on the attack zone with qn overhand shot that brought Florida 7-0 against Mercer.
Shannon Kavanagh met success 18 minutes into the game, a little late for the AAC Midfielder of the Year. The senior scored an impressive pop shot from the cage’s right side after a pass from Maggi Hall.
Nevertheless, she had a mighty impact on the rest of the game.
In the span of ten minutes in the first half, she notched in her 16th hat trick of the season.
The senior shot in an overhand goal at the top of the net only three minutes later with an assist by Harris.
Kavanagh dodged Mercer player Haley Gerold for a wraparound goal five minutes into the second period to bring the Gators a 19-point advantage.
Fans shouted Janine Suris’ name after the attacker struck in a sharp overhand shot 15 minutes into the second half. She holds five goals for the season.
Kassidy Bresnahan fought with Isabella Yagodich in the attack zone and pulled in
Emily Heller riled up a vicious wrist shot seven minutes into the second half and brought the score 21-1. Only five minutes later, she pushed through a myriad of Mercer defenders for a second goal. The sophomore collected 13 points this season.
Pushing through Haley Gerold, Sami Van Slyke and Carly Curran, Brianna Harris brought the heat with her fifth goal of the half and gave Florida a 18-1 lead to close it out.
Mercer only found the back of the net only five times in the game at the hands of Hailey Rhatigan, Kileigh Casey and Eva Thorn.
Rhatigan struggled through Florida’s defense and pushed in an overhand goal to put Mercer on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the game.
The midfielder brought in a clean overhand shot and scored the second Mercer goal of the day.
Florida dominated the save count 38 to Mercer’s weak 9.
Julia Hammerschlag replaced Sarah Reznick in the cage 20 minutes into the second half and held a respectable .400 save percentage.
On Friday, the NCAA announced twenty potential sites for the Regionals portion of the NCAA Tournament. Not surprisingly, Florida Ballpark, was among the potential host sites.
The Road to Omaha will go through 16 of these 20 potential host sites. ⚾️
The No. 9 ranked Gators opened Florida Ballpark in February after a $65 million construction pricetag.
The Gators have hosted a regional nine times under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, but haven’t since 2018. Florida is currently 33-15 overall and 15-9 in SEC play with six games remaining.
The NCAA selection show will air on May 30. Regionals will take place June 4-7.
Just 10 minutes into practice on the first day of her junior year at the University of Minnesota, catcher Kendyl Lindaman felt her knee pop and immediately knew something was wrong.
Several days later, she learned that she tore her meniscus, which required immediate surgery.
“With the coaching change and being injured, I found myself questioning my decision of why I was here again,” Lindaman said. “At this time, I kind of realized that I needed to make a chance.”
But the adversity Kendyl faced during her college transition didn’t end there. She lost her grandmother, whom offered some wise words of advice before her passing that stuck with the Ankeny, Iowa, native.
“Kendyl, go follow your dreams, you can’t do it at the University of Minnesota, it’s time to make a change,” she said.
At that moment, Kendyl decided to transfer from Minnesota in order to revive her passion for softball.
The Iowa High School all-time home run leader (71) began her collegiate career in the Twin Cities where she started 119 games behind the plate in her freshman and sophomore seasons and earned All-American honors.
As a freshman, Lindaman led the Big Ten in batting average (.426) and finished third in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.598). She set single-season program records for home runs (20), slugging percentage (.899), RBIs (tied-76) and walks (63). Lindaman’s dominance in the north was evident when she won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year awards.
Following her decision to transfer to the University of Florida, Kendyl questioned her choice on a daily basis, but her family provided the support she needed.
“I had my family there to back me up and just remind me what my dreams are and how happy I will become as time goes by,” Lindaman said.
Perhaps the toughest challenge Kendyl faced was adjusting to the proximity to her home in Iowa. She went from just a three-and-a-half hour drive to Minnesota’s campus to an 18-hour trek to Gainesville.
“Just a short plane ride [to Gainesville], but I’ve never been this far from home,” Lindaman said. “But through it all, I found that the people that care about me the most travel wherever I’m at.”
In 2019, Lindaman migrated to the Sunshine State to embark on her softball career in the Southeastern Conference. As a utility player, she alternated playing catcher and designated player. Lindaman made the All-SEC First Team and finished top-10 in the conference in home runs (15-T10th), RBIs (54-T7th) and walks (42-10th).
During her first season at UF, Kendyl felt a rejuvenated sense of support from her teammates and coaching staff.
“I had my new teammates by me every step of the way,” Lindaman said. “They were there to encourage me and to push me to become a better player and person than I was before.”
A year later, Lindaman transitioned to first base and displayed her versatility in the field in an abbreviated 2020 season. She recorded a .995 fielding percentage, which is tied for sixth among seniors in UF program history.
Kendyl’s success at the plate carried over into the 2021 season — she received a fifth year of eligibility due to COVID-19 shortening the 2020 season — in which she was one of five Gators to receive All-SEC accolades. In Florida’s first postseason contest, Lindaman delivered a go-ahead, three-run home run against Mississippi State to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Despite the endless obstacles she faced, Kendyl’s mental and physical toughness allowed her to overcame all forms of adversity and return to the softball star she has always been. “I have grown to love the game even more. I am a stronger person and a stronger player.”
In hindsight, Kendyl ultimately feels no regret regarding her decision to transfer to UF. “Even if I had the opportunity, I would not change anything.”
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Kendyl Lindaman stepped into the batter’s box to face Mississippi State pitcher Annie Willis with runners in scoring position. On a full count, Lindaman ripped an opposite-field, three-run home run to grant Florida its first lead of the day.
“I was just looking for something a little over the plate,” Lindaman said. “Just doing anything to get my team in, wasn’t looking to hit a home run, was just looking to hit a ball hard and have them make a play on it.”
An inning later, Gators third baseman Charla Echols hit a two-out, three-run bomb — her third long ball in the past four games — to give senior right-hander Natalie Lugo insurance heading into the final frame.
Lugo hurled an eight-pitch top of the seventh inning to secure a 6-2 SEC Tournament Quarterfinal victory Thursday in Tuscaloosa.
Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower started in the circle and lasted four innings. The junior gave up two earned runs in the top of the second after a leadoff walk and single led to a two-run double down the left-field line.
Willis held the Gators to just two hits through the first four innings and the Bulldogs maintained their advantage until Lindaman’s clutch homer in the fifth.
“Coach [Tim] Walton always says there’s 21 outs and if we have outs on the board, then we always have a chance and we really truly believe that,” Lindaman said.
Lugo relieved Hightower to begin the fifth frame and yielded only one Mississippi State baserunner across the last three innings en route to picking up her 15th win this season — second most on the team behind Hightower (16).
Final (R/H/E)
Mississippi State: 2 / 4 / 0
No. 4 Florida: 6 / 9 / 0
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (15-2)
Loss: Willis (16-9)
Individual Stats
Hightower: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Lugo: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Adams: 1-3, 1 R, 1 HBP
Wilkie: 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Echols: 3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR (14)
Lindaman: 3-4, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR (7)
Hoover: 0-4
Matthews: 1-2, 1 BB
Longley: 0-3
A. Goelz: 0-2, 1 BB
Lindsey: 1-3, 1 R
SEC Tournament Semifinals
The Gators will face Missouri in the semifinals Friday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2. In the regular season, Florida won two out of three contests at Mizzou.
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