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The Texas native scored 12 points while grabbing 9 rebounds in Florida’s loss at Missouri on Sunday. She played 33 minutes of action in the game and has started four straight for the Gators. The nine boards represented a career high while it was just the second time she has reached double digits in the scoring column.
Merritt averaged 7.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the week.
Florida will face No. 17 Georgia on Sunday at Exactech Arena in the team’s final regular season game. The Gators are 10-11 overall and 3-10 in SEC play.
A bad pass from Auburn forward JT Thor lead to a floater in the paint by Florida guard Tre Mann. The next UF possession, Mann made another three before Thor gave the ball right back to the Gators once more.
This sequence, about three minutes into the game, defined the entire first half of Florida’s statement 74-57victory over the Tigers on their home court.
Mann had the first double-double of his college career behind a mammoth opening half. He led the game with 16 first-half points on 7-9 shooting on his way to a 19–point night. He grabbed his 10th rebound about midway through the second half before ending with 13boards, the highest of his season and career.
Mann’s big night set the mood for one of the most lopsided halves of SEC basketball under Mike White as the Florida took a 44-22 lead to the locker room. Auburn couldn’t get out of their own way, turning the ball over an astonishing 13 times and shooting 3-16 (18.8%) from three and 7-23 (30.4%) from the court.
The Gators were hyper-efficient on offense in the opening twenty minutes, however, shooting 50% from the court (19-38) and from deep (5-10). Florida outrebounded the Tigers 22-17 while allowing just two offensive rebound and dominated Auburn in the paint, scoring 26 points inside while holding their opponents to only six.
Scottie Lewis came alive offensively in the first half as well, a sight for sore eyes for Florida fans. Lewis had 14 points by halftime as he and Mann outscored the Tigers on their own, 30-22. He finished with 16 points on 12shots, his first double-digit game since Vanderbilt on Jan. 27 and just his second since he was forced out for health and safety reasons in early January.
The second half was fairly uneventful. The Gators never allowed Auburn within 15 points en route to a 17-point win, with no Florida player scoring double-digit points in the final twenty minutes. Tyree Appleby finished with a double-digit performance of his own, with nine of his 11 points coming in the second half.
Florida moved to 12-6 on the year and 8-5 in conference and will play again Saturday when they travel to Kentucky to play John Calipari and the Wildcats, who handed them a 76-58 loss at home Jan. 9.
Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast as David Soderquist, Brian Fox, and Jake Hitt take a look at the Florida Gators’ running back room.
Florida returns key contributors Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis, and Nay’Quan Wright but also added five-star transfers Lorenzo Lingard (expect to be completely healthy) and Demarkcus Bowman.
The three also discuss the merits of each back and what they offer and predict what the depth chart will look like when the games begin in 2021.
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:
In last Wednesday’s 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.
Over the weekend, Florida outscored its Bubly Invitational opponents, Georgia Southern and Charlotte, 30-6 across five games. Despite occasional scoring droughts, the Gators’ pitching staff was in cruise control, finishing the weekend with a 0.85 team ERA.
Head coach Tim Walton’s earned his 800th win at UF
Fifth-year LHP Katie Chronister won SEC Pitcher of the Week honors
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.
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.
Florida baseball opened the season with a bang! They moved into the brand new Florida Ballpark and delighted a socially distanced crowd with a victory over rival Miami on Friday night.
But, maybe we saw the chink in the armor as the Gators squandered a 7-1 lead and allowed Miami to make a game of it in the ninth inning. What happened the following two afternoons was nothing short of a pitching staff meltdown, minus only a few contributors. For Miami, it was their first series win over Florida since 2014.
Per head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, “it’s not time to hit the panic button.” Florida will look to right the ship this week against North Florida and Samford.
So, let’s get right into the wrap-up:
__________
Overall Record: 1-2
SEC Record: N/A
National Ranking (D1Baseball): 1
Last Week:
2/19 vs Miami – W 7-5
2/20 vs Miami – L 10-9 (13 innings)
2/21 vs Miami – L 8-6
Pitcher of the Week: Christian Scott
5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K, 2 BB
There was really only a couple of choices for this week’s top pitcher, and for me it came down to Tommy Mace and Scott. Because Scott played a major role in two games and gave Florida a chance to win each, he was the pick.
Player of the Week: Nathan Hickey
7-13, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2B, 2 BB
Nathan Hickey continued where he left off last season.
Hickey put his name in the record books when his first inning homer on Friday became the first hit/run/homer in Florida Ballpark history. He continued the torrid pace by collecting multiple hits in all three games against Miami and reached base nine times in the series.
No. 6 Florida wrapped up the Bubly Invitational Sunday afternoon with another pair of wins over Charlotte and Georgia Southern. Florida swept the weekend invitational, going 5-0 and improving its overall record to 8-0.
Game One
Final (R-H-E)
Charlotte: 0-3-3
Florida: 4-9-0
Pitching Decision
Win: Katie Chronister (4-0)
Loss: Lindsey Walljasper (2-1)
Game Synopsis
After hurling a complete-game shutout in the Sunday’s rematch against Charlotte, Florida southpaw Katie Chronister picked up her fourth win already this season.
In Florida’s 4-0 win, the Gainesville native struck out six Charlotte batters and allowed just three hits and no walks across seven innings.
“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.
Florida catcher Emily Wilkie broke the scoreless tie in the second inning when the freshman safely crossed home plate on designated hitter Jordan Matthews’ double. After hitting a three-run bomb in Saturday’s win over Charlotte to mark her first-career hit, Wilkie led off the bottom of the second with a double down the left-field line.
Following a leadoff single in the top of the third, Charlotte sent a deep fly ball to the warning track, but it stayed in the ballpark as Florida left fielder Jamie Hoover reeled it in for the first out of the inning. Chronister recorded the final two outs before Florida second baseman Hannah Adams led off the bottom of the third with a single. First baseman Kendyl Lindaman’s 10-pitch at-bat resulted in a bloop single into shallow right-center. But the Gators left two runners aboard after Wilkie went down looking for the last out of the inning.
In the fourth, Hoover reached base on an error before Matthews skied a high fly ball that the Charlotte left fielder lost sight of and dropped. Matthews doubled on the play, while Hoover scored all the way from first to give the Gators a 2-0 lead. Following freshman shortstop Kali Reis’ sacrifice bunt, center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey drove in Hoover on a double down the right-field line. After stealing third, Lindsey scored on an Adams squeeze bunt, granting Florida a 4-0 advantage.
Maintaining a 4-0 through five innings, Florida had one last opportunity to add insurance runs before closing it out in the top of the seventh.
Despite loading the bases with one out, Florida failed to capitalize after left fielder Avery Goelz lined out to center field, which led to pinch-runner Mia Buffano getting doubled up at second base for the third out.
In the seventh inning, Chronister took the circle one last time for the Gators with hopes of going the distance; She did just that, retiring the side in order to secure the win.
Game Two
Final (R-H-E)
Georgia Southern: 0-1-2
Florida: 11-14-0
Pitching Decision
Win: Elizabeth Hightower (3-0)
Loss: Rylee Waldrep (0-1)
Game Synopsis
Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower retired the first thirteen Georgia Southern batters before surrendering a walk in the top of the fifth that broke her perfect game. The next batter hit a double to left field, putting runners in scoring position and breaking Hightower’s no-hitter hopes. Up 11-0, however, Hightower settled in as she struck out the following two batters to clinch a run-rule win over Georgia Southern.
Head coach Tim Walton praised the strides Hightower has made since her freshman and sophomore seasons. “She’s got some really good stuff, it’s really hard to square her stuff up, especially the first time through the lineup,” Walton said.
The Gators came out of the gate hot in the second game, racking up five runs in the first inning. Adams poked a leadoff double into the right-center-field gap before Lindaman reached on shortstop’s error to put runners in scoring position for sophomore catcher Julia Cottrill. The Wichita, Kansas, native delivered a two-RBI double to put Florida up 2-0.
On the ensuing at-bat, Goelz drove a deep fly ball to the warning track that just barely snuck past the right fielder’s glove, allowing Cottrill to score from second base. Two batters later, Hoover roped a line-drive, RBI-single before scoring on Lindsey’s two-out double to make it 5-0.
After stranding the bases loaded in the second inning, the Gators tacked on two additional runs in the third thanks to third baseman Charla Echols’ gap-double.
After Lindsey and Lindaman hit a pair of two-run doubles in the fourth frame, Florida took a commanding 11-0 lead into the final half-inning where they capped off the run-rule victory.
“The key to this game is being mentally tough,” Walton said. “We have enough pieces to be a good team, but I think to be a great team, it’s going to come down to toughness and cohesion and building off of each other… with a little bit of confidence, a good team can go a long way,” Walton added.
Notable Stats
Chronister: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (0.00 Season ERA)
Hightower: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (0.58 Season ERA)
Lindsey: 4-6, 4 RBI, 3 R (.520 Season BA)
Adams: 4-6, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB (.481 Season BA)
Lindaman: 3-7, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB (.370 Season BA)
Hoover: 3-5, 1 RBI, 3 R (.435 Season BA)
Echols: 1-6, 2 RBI, 2 BB (.519 Season BA)
Cottrill: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 R (.261 Season BA)
Wilkie: 2-4, 1 R (.375 Season BA)
Next Up
The Gators will return to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to face UNF Thursday before hosting a two-game weekend series against Louisville. Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will air on SEC Network+.
Florida entered this weekend’s matchup with the Miami Hurricanes as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation. They leave the weekend with more questions about the bullpen then answers and a sub-.500 record.
After splitting the first two games of the series, including the opening of the brand new Florida Ballpark, the Gators got down early in Sunday’s matinee contest and had to battle back but unfortunately, came up just short.
Freshman LHP Hunter Barco was not his normal, sharp self and gave up three runs in the first inning highlighted by Adrian Del Castillo’s 2RBI double to right.
A leadoff walk in the second inning came back to haunt Barco as a Cory Acton error played Jenkins and stretched the lead to 4-0. Miami’s Gil would lead off the third with a solo homer. Barco would start the fourth inning, but after a leadoff walk, a triple, and a hit by pitch, Barco’s day was complete.
The Hurricanes then added three more runs in the fourth to make it 8-0 and put Florida down for the count.
The Gators did fight back, however.
Florida added one in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Jordan Butler that plated Nathan Hickey.
The Gators then scored in the fifth and added a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh.
Florida left a lot of runners on base and had numerous opportunities to tie or take the lead. The Gators left 13 stranded on Sunday.
While the situational hitting is a problem, the pitching is the biggest question mark heading out of the first weekend.
Florida walked eight hitters on Sunday and finished the weekend with 25, many of which came around to score. Barco allowed three free passes while Hunter Mink gave up two more. Fireballer Brandon Sproat has had a lot of trouble finding the zone and walked three in 1.1 innings if work.
RHP Christian Scott was once again a bright spot out of the Florida bullpen. He went 2.2 inning allowing just two hits and didn’t walk anyone.
Note: Jacob Young extended his hitting streak to 21, which has spanned three seasons.
Pitching Decision:
W: Anthony Arguelles (1-0)
L: Hunter Barco (0-1)
S: Carson Palmquist (1)
Individual Stats:
Butler: 3-5, 2 RBI
Young: 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Hickey: 2-4, R, BB
Barco: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 3 K, 3 BB
What’s Next:
Florida will travel to Jacksonville to take on UNF on Tuesday and will return home to face the Ospreys on Wednesday. Kevin O’Sullivan said RHP Garrett Milchin will get the start Tuesday.
The Ospreys are 1-2 after facing Florida State this weekend.
Florida head coach Tim Walton notched his 799th and 800th career wins as a Gator Saturday after No. 6 Florida defeated Georgia Southern and Charlotte in day two of the Bubly Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 through 6 1/2 innings, Florida entered the bottom of the seventh inning in search of its second walk-off win this week.
After three walks loaded the bases with two outs, Florida third baseman Charla Echols delivered in the clutch, roping a single up the middle to score right fielder Avery Goelz and second baseman Hannah Adams.
Prior to the final inning, Georgia Southern right-hander Kyleigh Richardson threw a gem as she blanked Florida’s explosive offense for six straight innings. Florida southpaw Rylee Trlicek started in the circle for the Gators but only lasted four innings until senior Katie Chronister came in for relief. Neither pitcher allowed an earned run as Georgia Southern scored its lone run on Florida shortstop Kali Reis’ error.
Game Two
Pitching Decision:
Win: Hightower (2-0)
Loss: Hughes (0-1)
Save: Lugo (1)
Florida carried its offensive momentum in the second game, putting up five runs in the first inning. But UF’s bats stalled as the Gators laid goose eggs for the remainder of the game. Following Adams’ leadoff hit-by-pitch, first baseman Kendyl Lindaman hit an opposite-field dinger to give Florida an early 2-0 advantage. An Echols walk and a Goelz single put runners in scoring position before freshman catcher Emily Wilkie capped off the opening frame with her first career home run.
After cruising through the first several innings, right-handed pitcher Elizabeth Hightower surrendered lone runs in the top of the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Hightower conceded a two-out RBI-double before yielding a bases-loaded walk an inning later. Senior right-hander Natalie Lugo entered the circle in Hightower’s relief and recorded the final four outs to record her first save this season.
Notable Stats
Chronister: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (Season Totals: 0.00 ERA, 0.22 WHIP, .034 OBA)
Trlicek: 4 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (Season Totals: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 250 OBA)
Hightower: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (Season Totals: 1.00 ERA, .86 WHIP, .163 OBA)
The undefeated 6-0 Gators will wrap up the Bubly Invitational tomorrow with another doubleheader against the same two opponents. They’ll play Charlotte again at noon before taking on Georgia Southern for the third time at 3 p.m.
For at least one night, a lot of things seemed “normal” once again Friday night.
Florida baseball beat Miami for the eighteenth time in twenty-two outings and a rain storm kept delaying the first pitch and the opening of a brand new stadium.
The Gators are now 1-0 on the season after holding on to a 7-5 win that got much too dicey in the ninth inning.
Friday also represented the opening of the Gators’ new home, Florida Ballpark. Despite a socially distanced crowd, the Gators brought a ton of energy from the start. RHP Tommy Mace opened the season by retiring the side in order in the first inning and catcher Nathan Hickey blasted a solo shot to right that carried just past the fence in right.
Miami did answer in the second as Mace struggled at locating his pitches early on. Christian Del Castillo delivered a RBI single to tie the game.
Mace was able to get out of the jam and kept Florida knotted up while the offense adjusted to Miami starter Federman.
The third time through the order saw the Gators strike. Florida put up three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. SS Josh Rivera tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a seeing-eye single by Jacob Young, who extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Hickey then sent a ball down the right field line to score two more. The ball ended up bouncing into the berm for a ground rule double.
In the eighth Kris Armstrong crushed a ball to right that got out in a hurry and extended the Florida lead to 7-1.
Christian Scott tossed three good innings in relief and turned the ball over to freshman Chase Centala, who was unable to record an out and loaded the bases. Ben Specht was called on for the unenviable situation, but was only able to record one out while letting all three inherited runners to score. Finally Franco Aleman came in and closed the game, but it certainly was much closer than it should have been.
Entering the bottom of the fourth down 1-0, Florida second baseman Hannah Adams roped a two-RBI single up the middle before third baseman Charla Echols hit a three-run bomb to cap off the Gators’ epic two-out rally.
Two innings later, the Gators scored three insurance runs en route to an 8-3 victory over Georgia Southern.
After a throwing error led to an unearned run in the top of the second inning, Florida pitcher Natalie Lugo settled in nicely. The senior right-hander carried a two-hitter through the first six innings before an advantageous stretch of Georgia Southern at-bats in the top of the seventh granted the Eagles two garbage-time runs. Nevertheless, Lugo struck out seven batters while notching her seventh career complete game and first win of the season.
Georgia Southern right-hander Aaliyah Garcia hurled 3 2/3 scoreless innings until a Florida two-out rally put the Gators on the scoreboard. It started when Florida center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey hit an infield single before advancing to second base to put runners in scoring position. Adams kept it going with a single up the middle that drove in Lindsey and shortstop Kali Reis. After first baseman Kendyl Lindaman drew a walk to extend the rally, Echols’s three-run shot gave the Gators a commanding 5-1 lead.
A hitless and scoreless fifth inning led to the Gators adding some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Florida right fielder Baylee Goddard cranked a two-RBI triple before scoring on left fielder Jamie Hoover’s sacrifice fly, giving the Gators breathing room heading into the final inning.
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (1-0)
Loss: Garcia (0-1)
Notable Stats
Lugo: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Garcia: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Echols: 3-4, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 HR
Adams: 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 E
Hoover: 2-3, 1 RBI
Goddard: 1-2, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Busy Weekend
The Gators will wrap up the Bubly Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders. On Saturday, Florida will face Georgia Southern in a rematch at 1 p.m. before taking on Charlotte at 4. They’ll face Charlotte again at noon Sunday before playing Georgia Southern for a third time at 3.
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