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For the third consecutive year, the Florida Gators are headed to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series. And for the second straight year, the Gators advanced thanks to a walk-off.
The Gators and Tennessee duelled to extra innings for consecutive nights, however this time the Gators came through with the clutch hit.
Jaimie Hoover had struck out in each of her first three at-bats, but when faced with a two on, two out scenario in the bottom of the eighth, she came through with her most clutch hit as a Gator.
Amanda Lorenz scored from third and raced into a sea of awaiting teammates to clinch the WCWS berth.
Head coach Tim Walton admitted that pinch hitting for the struggling Hoover was a thought prior to the at-bat. Fortunately, he didn’t follow through.
“I reminded them not to interfere with the runner before [Amanda] crossed home plate.”
The Gators took an early 1-0 lead as Amanda Lorenz walked and came around to score on Sophia Reynoso’s single to right-center.
Tennessee finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh when RF Haley Bearden crushed Barnhill’s first offering over the right-center field fence to set up the dramatic finish.
Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com
Fast stats:
Kelly Barnhill: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 7 K, 1 BB
Hannah Adams: 2-4
Amanda Lorenz: 1-3, 2 R
Quotable:
Jaimie Hoover: “I was just looking for something I could drive.”
Amanda Lorenz: “I was trying to soak it in all game.”
What’s next:
Florida heads to Oklahoma City for the tenth time in the last twelve years. The Gators will open WCWS play on Thursday against Oklahoma State. The game is slated to begin at 7:30 PM.
The Florida Gators are just one win away from packing their bags and heading to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.
The Gators used a familiar formula in taking the opening game of the best-of-three series: score early, and Let Kelly Barnhill do her thing.
Florida opened the scoring in the first inning. Amanda Lorenz led off with a walk and was followed by an RBI double by Kendyl Lindaman. Lindaman would come around to score on a Sophia Reynoso single that just got through the infield.
The Gators added to the lead in the fifth as they converted a leadoff single by Jordan Roberts into a run by Amanda Beane. Jaimie Hoover had the big double to increase the lead to 3-0.
Barnhill pitched a complete game surrendering only three hits.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lorenz walked for the third time which put her in a tie for the SEC career record. Lorenz said she was proud, but as always puts winning before personal accomplishments.
Fast stats:
Kelly Barnhill: 7IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K, 3 BB
Jaimie Hoover: 2-3, 2B, RBI
Alex Voss: 2-3, 2B
Florida: 2-13 (.154) RISP
Quotable:
Tim Walton: “I’m proud of the momentum and the effort.”
Kelly Barnhill: “As the game [wore on], my pitches were getting better.”
Amanda Lorenz: “It was a fun first inning, giving Kelly the lead.”
Jaimie Hoover: “I feel really good at the plate.”
What’s next:
Florida will face Tennessee on Saturday at 6:00 PM with a chance to eliminate their SEC foe from postseason play. The Gators will be looking to advance to the WCWS for the third straight year.
Tennessee- defeated Longwood 8-0 (6), defeated Ohio State 12-4, lost to North Carolina 1-0, defeated North Carolina 2-0.
Florida- defeated Boston 3-0, defeated Boise State 8-0 (5), defeated Boise State 5-0 in the Gainesville Regional.
The Gators will look to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the third straight season. To do so, Florida will have to defeat conference rival Tennessee in Super Regional play beginning Friday.
The two teams played in a three game series to open SEC play with the Volunteers taking the series. Tennessee run-ruled the Gators in the series opener and took game two by a 3-0 score. Florida came back and run-ruled the Vols in the finale.
The Gators look more like the team that we expected coming into this season than the team that played throughout the regular season. Florida has now won eight straight going back to the regular season finale against Mississippi State.
Tennessee entered the NCAA Tournament on a 6-6 run in their final twelve games including a one-and-done at the SEC Tournament. The Vols had the no. 2 offense in the SEC during the regular season. Tennessee is a good team, but Florida is a better team when it’s clicking.
Florida wins. There’s no way that two generational type of players in Kelly Barnhill and Amanda Lorenz can finish their careers without a World Series berth. The Gators have flipped the switch at the right time and should make the trek to Oklahoma City for the third straight season.
Photo by Joel Auerbach / Getty ImagesFollowing last weekend’s much needed sweep at Columbia, the Gators baseball team was seeded No. 11 in the SEC baseball tournament. The Gators, who are likely still on the bubble for the NCAA baseball tournament, definitely have the odds stacked against them as they try to make a run in the post season.
Looking at the Gators’ opening matchup, they’ll play in the opening game on Tuesday against the No. 6 seeded, Texas A&M Aggies at 10:30 a.m. ET in Hoover, Alabama. The Gators and the Aggies have not met this season in what some people call a blessing, while others call it a curse. Whichever you believe, the only thing that matters is that both teams will have something brand new thrown their way.
Like Florida, Texas A&M is also coming off of a hot stretch in winning two of their last three series with wins over Arkansas and then Alabama.
Considering we don’t have a previous meeting between the two squads to allude to, taking a deeper look into the teams’ cumulative statistics provides us with a greater understanding as to what to expect. In terms of batting, as a team, the Gators have mustered up a .283 batting average. This compares to the Aggies’ .253 batting average. While that isn’t much of a difference to write home about, it is worth mentioning considering Florida’s offensive struggles this season.
Perhaps the most significant difference between the two teams comes from atop the mound. While Florida’s ace, Tommy Mace has an ERA of 5.18 through the season, the Aggies go-to-guy, John Doxakis, boasts a 2.01. As many postseason bouts are, I believe we can expect this matchup to come down to pitching.
While Florida has struggled all season with their talent on the mound, the Gators are coming off of a hot weekend behind right-hander, Jack Leftwich, who also claimed SEC’s co-pitcher of the week award following his performance at Missouri.
Despite the odds being considerably stacked against Florida, if the guys can learn anything from the their female counterparts who play across campus at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, its that when it comes to the postseason, nothing else matters.
For a Florida baseball team that has struggled in every facet of the game all year long, remembering that everyone is 0-0 come Tuesday could be vitally important.
The Southeastern Conference announced the end of season honors, and unsurprisingly, Florida didn’t come away with many individual awards. Most of the Gators lineup and pitching staff failed to meet expectations and suffered through a mediocre season (by UF standards).
While two Gators earned the All-SEC designation (Nelson Maldonado, First Team All-SEC and Kendrick Calilao, Freshman All-SEC), one player was unfairly left off the first or second team.
Sophomore shortstop Brady McConnell was easily the team’s most consistent bat. The Merritt Island, Florida native led the team in most offensive categories including batting average (among qualified candidates), home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and walks (tied with two others).
McConnell served as the glue that kept the Gators lineup going. Unfortunately, the SEC coaches weren’t as impressed.
Obviously, you can’t add a player to the All-SEC team without subtracting another. So let’s do this, check out these blind resumes and decide who deserves to be included:
Player A:
BA: .341
OBP: .436
HR: 4
RBI: 40
SB: 15-17
Player B:
BA: .311
OBP: .390
HR: 15
RBI: 53
SB: 10-12
Player C:
BA: .344
OBP: .397
HR: 15
RBI: 45
SB: 5-7
Player A is First Team All-SEC shortstop selection, Grae Kessinger of Ole Miss. Player B is Second Team All-SEC shortstop Casey Martin of Arkansas. McConnell rounds out the blind resumes as Player C.
As you can see above, McConnell has the highest batting average of the trio and is tied with Martin for the most home runs.
While all three deserve to be mentioned among the SEC’s best, it appears that the league’s coaches overlooked the fact that McConnell served as one of the few consistencies in an incredibly inconsistent lineup.
Disclaimer: this is not meant to diminish the season that either Grae Kessinger or Casey Martin had. Both were excellent players and had fantastic seasons. This is simply meant to give credit to the best player in the Gators uniform this year.
Following a masterful performance on Friday, Jack Leftwich has earned SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week. The Orlando native turned in a complete game shutout versus the twenty-second ranked Missouri Tigers.
Through the full nine innings, Leftwich remained in constant control of his pitches and the Tigers batters, allowing just two hits and a 0.71 average against. He added to that nine strikeouts, tying his career high.
The complete game two-hitter is the first by a Gator since Logan Shore vs. Georgia on April 22, 2016.
Florida will open the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. EST. The game can be viewed on the SEC Network.
Make sure to stay posted with ChompTalk for the latest as the Gators baseball team begins it’s postseason journey
Florida has received a greater return on their investment in the Great Gators Grillout, an annual summertime recruiting event. Joel Williams, a four star cornerback out of Madison Prep in Baton Rouge, has pledged his commitment to the Gators.
I’ll never look back…I’m trying to feed my family forever….
Williams is listed as the thirteenth ranked athlete in the class of 2020 and No. 233 overall. 247Sports has given him a 91.76% composite score though they don’t seem to be as high on him as other recruiting sites, giving Williams just three stars.
The Lousiana native is listed at 6’1″ 180 lbs. and has received offers from forty-seven different schools. Florida beat out in conference foes, Tennessee, LSU, and Georgia, among many others for the talented defensive back’s services.
In Williams, the Gators will receive a sure tackler with soft hands and the ability to lockdown his side of the field.
The Florida Gators are headed to the NCAA Super Regionals for the seventh straight year. Florida topped Boise State 5-0 on Sunday to continue their post-season journey.
Florida took an early 2-0 lead as both Amanda Lorenz and Kendyl Lindaman came around to score after reaching base via a single (Lorenz) and a walk (Lindaman).
A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Hannah Adams moved the runners in scoring position before a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Sophia Reynoso allowed the runs to score.
The Gators added to the lead in the third frame on Jordan Roberts’ sacrifice fly that brought pinch runner Lily Mann in to score.
A solo homer by Jaimie Hoover to lead off the fourth made it a 4-0 ball game, but the Gators had a chance to break the game open even further. With the bases loaded, Hannah Adams grounded out to first. The ball was actually in a difficult spot, but it hit Kendyl Lindaman for the final out of the inning.
Florida tacked on a run via the bottom of the order as pinch hitter Cheyenne Lindsey beat out a ball hit back to the pitcher. Reynoso busted it around third and beat the throw home for the Gators’ fifth run on the day.
Fast stats:
Amanda Lorenz: 3-4, 2B
Kelly Barnhill: 6 IP, 2H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB
Kendyl Lindaman: 1-1, R, 3 BB
Jaimie Hoover: 1-3, HR, RBI
Quotable:
Tim Walton: “This was a good, competitive regional. I’m impressed with how well all of our players competed and performed.”
Kelly Barnhill: “I threw more riseballs…I didn’t think I threw my best this weekend.”
Amanda Lorenz: “SEC play prepared us for a weekend like this.” Also: “The crowd was awesome, they were so hyped all weekend.”
What’s next:
Florida will face the winner of the Knoxville Regional. Tennessee and North Carolina are currently in a deciding game for the right to advance. The Tar Heels forced the deciding game with a 1-0 win in the first game on Sunday.
Colombia, MO –– The Gators traveled to the far off land of Missouri this weekend and put together one of their best team efforts of the season. The pitching staff showed just how good they can be on the way to a three game sweep of the 22nd ranked Tigers.
Game One:
Game one started off as a defensive struggle through the first three innings before Mizzou took a single run advantage in the bottom of the fourth. That lead wouldn’t hold for long however, as the Gators’ Cory Acton and Jud Fabian each demonstrated their long ball skills in the top of the fifth.
Both Gators drove in two runs with equally impressive homeruns, giving Florida a 4-1 lead over the home team. Brady Smith made his way home by way of a wild pitch in the top of the sixth inning, and the Gators lead increased to four.
Tommy Mace earned the game one win, improving to 8-4 on the season, but not before a big rally by the Tigers. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Mace walked a runner home before getting the second out via strikeout. Jordan Butler completed the game from there and earned the save with a final score of 5-4.
Game Two:
The second stanza was a masterful performance by sophomore pitcher, Jack Leftwich. Not only did Leftwich pitch a complete game, but he stoned the Tigers offense in the process.
The Mizzou lineup managed just two hits on the evening, while Leftwich hurled nine strikeouts in his first career shutout.
Game two was truly a pitcher’s duel, as TJ Sikkema allowed only three hits. Fortunately, Florida was able to get the most out of those limited base opportunities.
Brady McConnell reached base by way of an error, and Austin Langworthy followed up with a frozen rope out of right field, making it 2-0.
With Leftwich’s stellar performance, two runs was more than enough to take game two.
Game Three:
On Saturday afternoon, the Gators completed the sweep and extended a four year long, twelve game winning streak over the Tigers. Although Nick Pogue started for the Gators, he handed the ball over to Christian Scott in the fifth with a 3-0 lead, and it was Scott who earned the win. For his part, Pogue delivered five and one third innings, no runs allowed, and six strikeouts.
The Gators got on the board early when Kendrick Calilao singled and Cory Acton doubled off of the wall in right center field. The center fielder misplayed the ball allowing Calilao to come home. Acton scored moments later on a groundball from Jacob Young.
Brady McConnell took a walk to start the third inning and then turned on the jets to find third base after an Austin Langworthy single. Nelson Maldonaldo drove McConnell in with a grounder, making the score 3-0.
Not one to simply roll over, Mizzou put on their rally caps in the seventh inning when they tied the game at three a piece on the strength of a string of singles, including the game tying RBI from Chris Cornelius.
Brady Smith and Austin Langworthy fended off the Tigers’ threat in the top of the eighth when Langworthy’s left field double drove Smith home for the go ahead run.
Christian Scott staved off the Mizzou offense the remainder of the game, before handing it off to Jordan Butler for the save.
The Gators won by a final score of 4-3, improving their conference record to 13-17 just before the beginning of the SEC tournament next week.
What’s next:
Florida will open SEC Tournament play with a matchup on Tuesday against No. 6 seed Texas A&M.
It’s possible the Gators have done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but a few wins should solidify their resume.
See our feature previewing the SEC Tournament coming Monday evening.
Gainesville, FL- Kelly Barnhill and Natalie Lugo together tossed the program’s eighth combine no-hitter. After defeating Boise State 8-0 on Saturday, the Gators now stand just one win away from a super regional berth.
Florida, playing as the visiting team, piled on six runs in the first inning before the Broncos had a chance to hit.
The Gators had an incredible two-out rally that saw five batters reach base via a walk and three more from base hits.
Jade Caraway singled to score Jordan Roberts and Sophia Reynoso. Hannah Sipos, Alex Voss, and Amanda Lorenz each followed with an RBI single of their own.
Florida added two more runs in the second inning. Jaimie Hoover and Caraway each had RBI base hits to produce the runs.
Armed with an big lead, Kelly Barnhill and Natalie Lugo were able to mow down a Broncos lineup that entered postseason play with the nation’s tenth best batting average.
Barnhill threw just 27 pitches in two innings of work before giving way to sophomore Lugo. Lugo pitched an efficient three innings, throwing only 31 pitches in the effort.
Fast stats:
Jade Caraway: 2-2, 3 RBI, R
Hannah Adams: 2-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Kelly Barnhill: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K, 1 BB
Natalie Lugo: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB
What’s next:
Florida will face the winner of tonight’s game. Boise State will face Stanford in an elimination game. The game is slated for 12:00 PM.
Follow @ChompTalk and @ChompTalkBrian on Twitter for live updates on tomorrow’s game.
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