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  • BSB: Gators Fall to Florida Atlantic in Extras

    BSB: Gators Fall to Florida Atlantic in Extras

    Final: Florida Atlantic 3, Florida 2

    The Florida Gators fell to 6-3 on the season with a 3-2 loss to Florida Atlantic on Wednesday in Gainesville.

    How It Happened:

    The Owls opened the scoring in the top of the first as a sacrifice fly by __ Hartigan scored __ Alvarez, who led off the game with a single up the middle.

    In the bottom of the first, Florida’s Jacob Young extended his hitting streak to 27 with a lead off single back up the middle. Though Jud Fabian walked to put two on with no outs, the next three hitters recorded outs and the threat ended.

    The Gators did break through in the second inning. Freshman Colby Halter hit his first collegiate home run on a 3-2 pitch that also scored Sterlin Thompson.

    Florida couldn’t put up a shut down inning after taking the lead. Instead the Owls scored the tying run on __ Murray’s single to right.

    Garrett Milchin pitched three innings and gave up five hits and two runs. Kevin O’Sullivan then allowed the arms in the bullpen to take over. LHP Jordan Butler tossed a scoreless inning and RHP Trey Van Der Weide added three innings of work. David Luethje (0.1 innings) and Timmy Manning (1.2 innings) also saw action out of the bullpen.

    The Gators offense went three up, three down in six of the final eight innings, but the pitching was sterling until the tenth inning.

    Franco Aleman entered the ballgame in the tenth and struck out the leadoff hitter __ DeBose. A single and a fly out had the Gators within one out of moving to the bottom of the frame even. Aleman induced a groundball up the middle that snuck under the glove of Josh Rivera and into centerfield. That was followed by a Hartigan single which scored the lead run and was all the Owls needed to clinch the victory.

    Individual Stats:

    • Young: 2-5, 27 game hitting streak
    • Halter: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
    • UF Bullpen: 7 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 7 K

    What’s Next:

    The Gators will welcome Florida A&M in Florida Ballpark this weekend for a three game set that opens Wednesday.

    The Rattlers are 0-8 on the season and had their midweek matchup against North Florida cancelled.

  • SB: Gators Top Aggies as Hightower Earns Sixth Win

    SB: Gators Top Aggies as Hightower Earns Sixth Win

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com


    Junior right-hander Elizabeth Hightower picked up her sixth win Wednesday night as Florida improved to 13-0 — its hottest start since 2016.

    “[Hightower’s] a quiet, confident hard worker,” head coach Tim Walton said. “But she’s not somebody who really talks about herself or brags about herself. She just works.”

    After climbing to No. 5 in both major polls this week, the Gators scored four first-inning runs en route to a 6-2 victory over New Mexico State.

    Following a leadoff single and walk, Florida catcher Julia Cottrill drove in the first run of the game on a double into the left-center gap. With two outs and runners in scoring position, left fielder Jamie Hoover hit a three-run bomb over the right-center-field wall to grant the Gators an early advantage.

    New Mexico State answered with back-to-back hits in the top of the second to cut the deficit to 4-1. Florida left-hander Rylee Trlicek punched out the leadoff hitter before surrendering a single and an RBI-double on the ensuing at-bats.

    In the top of the third, Hightower replaced the sophomore southpaw after Trlicek yielded two baserunners without recording an out. In relief, Hightower produced an infield fly and a foul out before striking out the final batter looking to escape the jam.

    Walton explains how Hightower has worked on the consistency of her mechanics with assistant coach Mike Bosch. “They’ve got [Hightower] using her lower half of her body a lot better, her timing is much improved, she’s more consistent and with that comes her speed changes.”

    After teeing off Aggies pitcher Felicia De La Torre in the opening frame, Florida put up goose eggs until the bottom of the sixth inning. Freshman right fielder Katie Kistler drew a four-pitch, leadoff walk before she stole second and advanced to third on freshman pinch-hitter Emily Wilkie’s sacrifice bunt.

    On the next at-bat, center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey drove in Kistler on a sacrifice fly to center field. Second baseman Hannah Adams capped off the scoring with a two-out solo shot to right field — her third hit of the night and second home run in the past week.

    “[Hannah’s] always had a great A+ glove, but to have the ability to step up and be a big-time performer in a lot of games, . . . I’m really proud of her,” Walton said.

    After escaping the second-inning jam, Hightower retired nine of the next 11 batters she faced until Aggies first baseman Kayla Bowen took the junior yard in the top of the seventh. Following the leadoff dinger, senior right-hander Natalie Lugo got three quick outs to secure Florida’s win.

    Final (R+H+E)

    New Mexico State: 2-5-0

    No. 5 Florida: 6-6-1

    Pitching Decision

    Win: Hightower (6-0)

    Loss: De La Torre (1-3)

    Save: Lugo (2)

    Individual Stats

    RHP Hightower: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (0.83/0.59 season ERA/WHIP)

    LHP Trlicek: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (0.88/1.13)

    RHP Lugo: (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1.57/0.85)

    2B Adams: 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (.512/.588/.780 season slash line)

    C Cottrill: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B (.219/.286/.281)

    LF Hoover: 1-3, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR (.387/.459/.484)

    CF Lindsey: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 2B (.457/.487/.714)

    Rivalry Weekend

    The Gators will carry their momentum into this weekend’s home-and-home series against in-state rival No. 16 Florida State. Florida will host the Seminoles Friday at 3:30 before the teams meet in Tallahassee Saturday night at 6. Friday’s game will air on the SEC Network.

    As the Gators prepare for their first ranked opponent, they still have room for improvement. “We’ve got to get better offensively,” Walton said. “I still believe our offense is way better than it is right now.”

  • WBB: Gators Defeat Auburn; Advance in SEC Tournament

    WBB: Gators Defeat Auburn; Advance in SEC Tournament

    Final: Florida 69, Auburn 62

    Photo by Benjamin Fox / ChompTalk.com

    Greenville, SC – Behind a 19-2 run to open the second half and holding Auburn without a field goal over the last 3:16, the Florida Gators are advancing to the second round of the SEC Tournament.

    Florida was led by senior Kiki Smith, who scored 19 points and only turned the ball over three times.

    How It Happened:

    The two teams played even through the first quarter and really, much of the first half. Auburn opened the game by scoring the first five points, but Florida quickly tied it up. Florida took their first lead after a trey by Danielle Rainey made it 12-10. The Tigers, however roared back and maintained a lead until a Faith Duty putback evened things at 16 before the buzzer.

    The second quarter saw much of the same back and forth action. The Tigers hit the first trey of the second period, but Florida saw irs lead build to as many as five after a pair of free throws by Kristina Moore. The two teams entered the intermission with Florida possessing a 33-32 advantage.

    That’s where the Gators turned it up a notch. Jordyn Merritt opened the scoring with an easy layup and Smith scored on three straight possessions during the 19-2 run. Florida built a 52-34 lead during the run, but almost immediately allowed Auburn back in it. The Tigers scored the final twelve points of the third and closed the gap to 52-46.

    The final period opened with a Kiki Smith layup to end the run, but Auburn kept at it, led by senior Unique Thompson. Thompson made baskets three straight trips down the court and the Tigers not only erased the deficit, but took a 57-54 lead with 6:37 to play. The Gators then went on a three-point barrage as Moore and Rainey hit three straight to put Florida back ahead by six at 63-57. Florida finished the game with a swarming defense that only allowed two Thompson free throws over the final three-plus minutes of play.

    Individual Stats:

    • Smith: 19 P, 5 R, 4 A
    • Rainey: 13 P, 3-6 3FG
    • Moore: 11 P, 7 R, 3 A, 3 Blk
    • Merritt: 9 P, 7 R, 2 Stl
    • Rickards: 9 P, 7 R, 2 A

    Team Stats:

    • FG% : 47
    • 3FG% : 35
    • FT% : 71
    • Reb +/- : +7
    • Ast : 9
    • TOs : 17
    • Paint : 32
    • Bench : 15

    What’s Next:

    Florida will face Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville, SC on Thursday. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 PM tip, but will be fluid due to the game preceding it. The Wildcats are 16-7 on the season and 9-7 in SEC play. Kentucky beat Florida 88-80 in Gainesville on February 15.

  • LAX: Florida Powers Past Kennesaw State, 20-7

    LAX: Florida Powers Past Kennesaw State, 20-7

    Photo by Benjamin Fox / ChompTalk.com


    The No. 6 Gators lacrosse team eviscerated the Kennesaw State Owls 20-7 Thursday.

    The team brought in an astonishing 30 shots on goal to compete with the Owls’ 10 and dominated the draw control 20-9.

    Florida returned after their 5-11 loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 19, now holding a .667 win percent.

    The game was fairly balanced, but three powerhouses dominated the first half: redshirt sophomore Paisley Eagan with four goals, freshmen attacker Danielle Pavinelli with three and freshman attacker Maggi Hall with two.

    Pavinelli slid in a goal with only 1:15 left in the period to give her an impressive four goals for the season.

    Senior attacker Grace Haus scored two goals and senior midfielder Shannon Kavanagh, redshirt senior attacker Brianna Harris and sophomore midfielder Shelton Sawers all scored one.

    The score was 14-3 to conclude the first half.

    The Gators ran it back and proved their strength in the second half.

    Hall quickly broke the ice with her third goal in the game and was followed by Kavanagh. The sharp midfielder scored twice within a two-minute period and topped off her season-total goals at seven.

    Senior attacker Kassidy Bresnahan, Hall and Harris guaranteed a Gators win each with a goal. Freshman midfielder Jackie Norsworthy scored her first college career goal to finish out the game.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    The game solidified the power the freshmen class has. Of the 20 goals, seven were scored by freshmen, two of which got career-high hat tricks. For only the third game of the season, the class stamped a strong impression on the team.

    UF played strongly in goal as welp. Freshman goalie Julia Hammerschlag took the net in the second half and totaled a career-high 9:22 minutes. Redshirt freshman starter goalie Sarah Reznick showed up with three saves for a .333 save percentage.

    Florida played powerfully and with a purpose. If this type of performance persists, the Gators will easily upturn the season and make up for their North Carolina loss.

    The Gators return to Florida to face Stetson in DeLand on March 6 at 1 p.m. It will make for their fourth straight away game to open the season.

  • SB: Chronister’s Unforeseen Elevated Role Provides Early-Season Boost

    SB: Chronister’s Unforeseen Elevated Role Provides Early-Season Boost

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com


    In Sunday’s shutout victory over Louisville, Florida left-handed pitcher Katie Chronister shined in the circle yet again. The Gainesville native improved to 5-0 after blanking the Cardinals through six frames while racking up a career-high eight strikeouts.

    Florida head coach Tim Walton praised Chronister’s precision thus far. “[She’s] performed very, very well,” Walton said. “I’m really proud of her and the location she has on her pitches.”

    Chronister holds a team-low a 0.36 WHIP and is the only Florida pitcher with a sub-.100 batting average against. Through just two starts and five total appearances, the fifth-year senior has already thrown more innings this year than she did in any of her first four seasons at UF. In fact, her 22 innings pitched leads all remaining pitchers with a perfect 0.00 earned run average.

    Chronister’s elevated role and improvement is evident. In her first four seasons as a Gator, the southpaw compiled an unremarkable 2.40 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.

    Walton relied on Chronister primarily as a reliever as she made only seven starts through four seasons. Prior to 2021, Chronister hadn’t lasted four innings in a single game since her sophomore season in 2018. Recently, however, the left-hander has proven her stamina, lasting at least six innings in each of her last two starts.

    After hurling a complete-game shutout against Charlotte on Feb. 21, Chronister earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. She pitched 12.2 shutout innings en route to picking up three wins in three appearances.

    “Being able to establish my spots, not leaving too many down the middle and making sure that I have a defense that can work for me will always make me successful,” Chronister said after the game.

    As the start of SEC play approaches and the level of competition increases, No. 6 Florida will continue to lean on Chronister’s early-season success. The Gators will face New Mexico State at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Wednesday night ahead of a home-and-home weekend series against in-state rival Florida State.

  • WBB: Briggs, Merritt Earn All-SEC Honors

    WBB: Briggs, Merritt Earn All-SEC Honors

    Photo by Benjamin Fox / ChompTalk.com

    With the completion of the regular season, the Southeastern Conference announced the league’s post-season awards on Tuesday. Florida guard Lavender Briggs and forward Jordyn Merritt were selected to the conference’s All-SEC teams.

    Briggs was named to the All-SEC second team after putting up 19.5 points per game and adding 6.5 rebounds. The Provo, Utah native scored a career-high 41 against Arkansas on January 14.

    Merritt was named to the All-SEC freshman team and appeared in twenty-two games for the Gators, making six starts. The forward averaged 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds for the season. She was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week on February 23.

    Florida finished the regular season 10-12 overall and 3-11 in SEC play. The will open the SEC Tournament against Auburn on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM from Greenville, SC.

  • The Gridiron Growl Podcast: More Recruiting Failures

    The Gridiron Growl Podcast: More Recruiting Failures

    Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast as David Soderquist, Brian Fox, and Jake Hitt discuss the latest in the recruiting world.

    In case you missed it: former 5-star TE Arik Gilbert opted to decommit from Florida and 5-star DB Sam McCall (a former UF pledge) committed to rival Florida State on Sunday.

    The trio sound off on the job the staff has done and their perceived lack of efforts on the recruiting trail.

    Click play on the following audio player to listen to this week’s episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast:

    You can also follow The Gridiron Growl Podcast on the following platforms:

  • SB: Weekly Wrap-Up

    SB: Weekly Wrap-Up

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com


    Following an 8-0 start to the season, the Gators remain undefeated after surrendering only one run across four games last week.

    Florida cruised to a run-rule victory over UNF Thursday night before defeating Louisville in back-to-back games home opener against Jacksonville, UF second baseman Hannah Adams hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh to drive in the lone run of the game and lift the Gators to victory.

    Despite lackluster offense in Sunday’s doubleheader, Florida’s pitching staff dominated. The unit hurled with a 0.85 team ERA.

    __________

    Overall Record: 12-0

    SEC Record: 0-0

    National Ranking (USA Today/NFCA Coaches): 6

    Last Week:

    Pitcher of the Week: LHP Katie Chronister (Sr.)

    • 3-0, 12.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP)

    After tossing 12.2 scoreless innings and picking up three wins, the southpaw Gainesville native improved to 4-0 while earning SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.

    Chronister surrendered just four hits and no walks, granting the fifth-year senior a team-low 0.31 WHIP. In Sunday’s win over Charlotte, Chronister struck out six batters en route to her second career complete-game shutout.

    “Being able to establish my spots, not leaving too many down the middle and making sure that I have a defense that can work for me will always make me successful,” Chronister said.

    Player of the Week: 3B Charla Echols (Jr.)

    • 7-18 (.389/.500/.722), 3 R, 7 RBIs, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 BB (.542 Season BA)

    Following a six-hit, six-RBI performance in the USF doubleheader, Echols went 7-18 and drove in seven runs last week.

    The Newnan, Georgia, native hit her second home run of the season Friday night before delivering in a high-pressure situation against Georgia Southern Saturday. Down 1-0 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Echols knocked a clutch walk-off single.

    Upcoming Week:

    • Thursday, 2/25 vs UNF @ 6 p.m.
    • Saturday, 2/27 vs Louisville @ 1 p.m.
    • Sunday, 2/28 vs Louisville @ 10 a.m.
    • Sunday, 2/28 vs McNeese State @ 1 p.m.
  • SB: Florida’s pitching staff hurls 15 scoreless frames in victorious doubleheader

    SB: Florida’s pitching staff hurls 15 scoreless frames in victorious doubleheader

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com

    Game One

    Final (R-H-E)

    Louisville: 0-3-0

    Florida: 2-3-0

    Pitching Decision

    Win: Chronister (6-0)

    Loss: Holloway (1-2)

    Save: Hightower (1)

    Game Synopsis

    Following Saturday’s 5-1 win over Louisville, Florida southpaw Katie Chronister dealt a gem, The Gainesville native picked up her fifth win already this season while racking up a career-high eight strikeouts.

    Game Two

    Final (R-H-E)

    McNeese State: 0-1-0

    Florida: 1-4-1

    Pitching Decision

    Win: Hightower (5-0)

    Loss: Edwards (1-1)

    Game Synopsis

    Following seven scoreless innings, Florida second baseman Hannah Adams hit a walk-off solo shot over the right-center-field wall as the Gators prevailed in extras.

    Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo retired the first 10 batters she faced before an error on Adams yielded the first McNeese State baserunner. Barring a leadoff double in the top of the fifth, Lugo dealt a no-hitter across 5 1/3 frames until junior right-hander Elizabeth Hightower entered the circle in relief.

    Hightower cruised through the final eight batters; she struck out the side in the top of the eighth before Adams walked it off in bottom half of the inning.

    Individual Stats

    Chronister: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (0.00 ERA/0.36 WHIP)

    Hightower: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (0.71 season ERA/0.61 season WHIP)

    Lugo: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (1.64 season ERA/0.89 WHIP)

    Adams: 2-6, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 SB (.486/.574/.703 season slash line)

    Hoover: 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB (.393/.471/.393 season slash line)

    Lindsey: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI (.455/.500/.697 season slash line)

    Goelz: 2-3, 1 3B (.323/.364/.452 season slash line)

    Next Up

    The undefeated Gators will look to pick up their 13th win Wednesday night at home against New Mexico State before facing No. 15 Florida State in a weekend home-and-home series. The two teams will play in Gainesville Friday afternoon before traveling to Tallahassee for a Saturday night game.

  • BSB: Jacob Young Walks It Off; Gators Sweep Samford

    BSB: Jacob Young Walks It Off; Gators Sweep Samford

    Final: Florida 10, Samford 9

    Jacob Young

    Having already extended his hitting streak to twenty-six several hours earlier, Jacob Young entered the batting box in the ninth inning Sunday simply needing to get on base to complete the sweep of a really good Samford team.

    Young ripped a single to right center that allowed 3B Colby Halter to score and sent everyone in the socially distanced crowd into a frenzy. It also sent his teammates into a frenzy as they raced to join Young as he rounded first base to clinch the 10-9 victory.

    How It Happened:

    Florida LHP Hunter Barco was not sharp to open. Barco lead off the game with a walk and allowed a two-run homer to Sonny DiChiara. But the Gators proved resilient and Young led off the bottom of the inning with a single to extend his hitting streak and CF Jud Fabian crushed a ball over the fence in left center to even the score. Florida took a 3-2 lead out of the first after a balk brought home Jordan Butler.

    The Gators added to the scoreboard in the second and third. Young hit an RBI double and Halter added a 2 RBI double in the third.

    Despite the lead, Florida was unable to hold on to it. Barco struggled in the fifth and into the sixth. A solo homer in the fifth brought it to 6-3 before the wheels fell off in the sixth.

    Barco allowed two runners and was removed for Franco Aleman. Aleman struggled to find his location, and promptly loaded the bases and allowed a run on a passes ball. Aleman threw 22 pitches, only nine landed in the strike zone, before being lifted for Chase Centala. But the damage was done, Samford took an 8-6 lead.

    The Gators rallied in the eighth, scoring three runs highlighted by Fabian’s 2 RBI single up the middle.

    But…

    …the Florida bullpen was (yet again) unable to put it away. Brandon Sproat came on in the ninth and promptly recorded the first two outs before DiChiara crushed a blast to right to tie the game back up.

    Then the drama ensued. Josh Rivera lead off the inning by reaching on an error. He was immediately sent to second due to a balk. Halter was intentionally walked before Jordan Carrion was given a free pass (unintentionally) to load the bases with two down. Young did the rest.

    Pitching Decision:

    • W: Brandon Sproat (1-0)
    • L: Chase Isbell (0-5)

    Individual Stats:

    • Young: 4-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB
    • Halter: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
    • Fabian: 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, R

    What’s Next:

    Florida has now won five straight games and will face Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

    The Owls are 6-1 and sport a dynamic offens. This weekend, they swept Seton Hall and have scored 74 runs already on the year.