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Freshman right-hander Lexie Delbrey started in the circle for the Gators and pitched the first six innings before senior right-hander Natalie Lugo came in for relief in the seventh.
Delbrey threw five shutout frames before she allowed a two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half of the inning, Florida shortstop Skylar Wallace belted a leadoff solo shot to center field — her fifth this year — to tie the game.
Lugo got through the seventh and eighth innings but surrendered a go-ahead solo homer to lead off the top of the ninth. The Gators failed to answer in the bottom half as Alabama right-hander Montana Fouts recorded three straight outs to close the game.
Final (R/H/E)
#5 Alabama: 2 / 7 / 0
#7 Florida: 1 / 7 / 1
Pitching Decision
Win: Kilfoyl (8-2)
Loss: Lugo (7-4)
Save: Fouts (3)
Individual Stats
RHP Delbrey: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Lugo: 3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
2B Adams: 1-3, BB, K
SS Wallace: 1-3, R, RBI, HR (5), BB, K
3B Echols: 1-4, K
DP Walsh: 0-4, 2 K
C Roe: 2-4
RF Lindsey: 1-3
LF Kistler: 1-4, SB
1B A. Goelz: 0-3
CF Falby: 0-2, K
Next Up
The Gators will look to avoid the series sweep Monday at 7 p.m. The finale will air on SEC Network.
Alabama right-hander Montana Fouts struck out 11 Gators Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium en route to an 8-3 series-opening victory. Fouts went the distance and picked up her 16th win this season — second in the SEC.
The Gators drew six walks but managed only four hits the entire game. Fouts blanked Florida in every frame barring the bottom of fourth. Florida shortstop Skylar Wallace and second baseman Hannah Adams led off the inning with back-to-back walks before Wallace stole her 33rd base this year — leads the SEC — and scored on third baseman Charla Echols’ single up the middle.
The next at-bat, freshman designated player Reagan Walsh drove in Adams on a double into the right-center gap. With two outs, left fielder Katie Kistler poked an RBI single through the infield to cap off a three-run inning.
Senior right-hander Elizabeth Hightower started in the circle for the Gators but gave up a season-high seven earned runs across only 2 2/3 innings. Hightower surrendered a two runs in the top of the second before the Crimson Tide scored five more in the third.
With two outs in the top of the third, sophomore southpaw Haley Pittman came in for relief and tossed a pair of shutout innings. Florida right-hander Marissa Mesiemore and left-hander Rylee Trlicek pitched the remainder of the game and Mesiemore yielded an unearned run in the top of the sixth following a costly error on Wallace.
Final (R/H/E)
#5 Alabama: 8 / 12 / 0
#7 Florida: 3 / 4 / 2
Pitching Decision
Win: Fouts (16-2)
Loss: Hightower (10-3)
Individual Stats
RHP Hightower: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
LHP Pittman: 2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Mesiemore: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Trlicek: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
CF Falby: 0-3, 3 K
SS Wallace: 1-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB
2B Adams: 0-2, R, 2 BB
3B Echols: 1-4, RBI, K
DP Walsh: 1-3, RBI
RF Lindsey: 0-2, BB, K
C Wilkie: 0-3, K
1B A. Goelz: 0-2, BB, K
LF Kistler: 1-2, RBI, BB, K
Next Up
The Gators will look to even the series Sunday on ESPN2 at 4 p.m.
Coming off a series sweep in Athens against Georgia, expectations were low as Florida faced the nation’s number two ranked team, Arkansas.
After evening the series in Friday’s second game behind a solid effort from RHP Brandon Sproat, the Gators clinched the series with a 9-7 win in Saturday’s finale.
The Gators struck first in the third inning when Wyatt Langford singled up the middle to score Colby Halter. The next batter, BT Riopelle then smoked a three-run homer to give the Gators a 4-0 lead through the first third of the contest.
As gas been an issue for the last two seasons, Arkansas rebounded quickly, putting up a four-spot in the top of the fourth, chasing starting pitcher Brandon Neely, who made his first career start.
Langford crushed a three-run shot in the fifth to put Florida back up by three runs at 7-4, but once again, Arkansas struck for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to close the gap to just one.
After a pair of scoreless innings for Florida, the Razorbacks pushes the tying run across in the eighth by way of a solo homer.
This time, it was the Gators turn to respond. In the bottom half of the frame, Josh Rivera led off with a bunt single and moved to second on an errant throw. Mac Guscette followed with a sacrifice bunt before a sac fly from Deric Fabian scored Rivera. Two batters later, Jud Fabian singled to left to score Halter and put Florida on top 9-7.
Neely totaled 3.2 innings pitched, allowing five hits and four earned runs. Ryan Slater threw another 3.2 and gave up three runs (one earned) before turning it over to Blake Purnell to close out the final 1.2 innings.
The Gators are 21-11 overall and improved to 5-7 in SEC action. The team will travel to Tallahassee on Tuesday to take on the rival Seminoles. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
With 5:08 remaining, Danielle Pavinelli assisted on a goal to Emma LoPinto and put the Gators up 13-1 over Old Dominion. In any other game like this one, the assist would’ve been just another step to what had been a one-sided blowout. On Thursday, it was history.
The assist marked Pavinelli’s 100th point of her career. The sophomore standout becomes just the 19th Gator ever to reach the mark and the first since Lindsey Ronbeck tallied 107 in 2019. The record-book worthy moment was the highlight of Florida’s domination against the Monarchs.
Florida (9-4, 2-0 AAC) defeated Old Dominion (5-9, 0-2 AAC) 22-6 on Thursday in a dominating performance. The Gators move their winning streak to seven games and uphold their undefeated conference record with the victory.
Things got going quickly for Florida per usual. Emily Heller notched the first goal of the game for the Gators in just 45 seconds. Old Dominion scored early on a free position goal to make the score 2-1, before the UF offense got to steamrolling.
Five different Gators scored goals in the first half, with Emily LoPinto’s two scores leading the charge. Pavinelli grabbed a goal and two assists to reach the historical mark in the first. By the end of the first half, Florida had total control of momentum with an 8-1 lead to boot.
“It’s been awesome playing with [Pavinelli],” LoPinto said. “I definitely think we’ve grown together, and playing with her is an honor. We’re always looking out for each other. It’s been awesome.”
The second half of game felt like a scrimmage. The officials decided to let the clock run continuously in the second half while head coach Amanda O’Leary subbed out each of the starters, taking advantage of the opportunity to get a look at her reserves.
The bench group took advantage of their opportunity just the same, going on a tear in the second half.
Ten reserves accounted for 13 goals as Florida waltzed to victory. Old Dominion managed a small three goal run in the fourth quarter, but the Gators matched their total, proving just how dominant they were over the Monarchs.
“I thought we played very well from start to finish” O’Leary said. “Our players came off the bench and were just outstanding. We saw a big team win right there.”
Up next, Florida travels to Nashville for some more conference play against Vanderbilt. First draw is set for Saturday, April 16 at 12:30 p.m.
Following a dismal series opener Thursday, the Gators rebounded to defeat No. 2 Arkansas 7-2 Friday.
Brandon Sproat (W, 4-3) pitched well to earn the win while Blake Purnell (S, 3) was able to close out the final 3.1 innings to save the bullpen for Saturday’s series finale.
The Gators got on the scoreboard early and often and established a 5-0 lead before the first three innings were complete.
Florida took a 1-0 lead on a Sterlin Thompson sacrifice fly to center. Thompson appeared to have a home run robbed but was able to bring in Jud Fabian who doubled and reached third after a passed ball. One pitch after the theft, Florida RF Wyatt Langford sent a wind-aided shot to the opposite field that just snuck over the right field fence to put the Gators on top 2-0.
Florida added to its lead in the second as the first four batters reached base. Deric Fabian drew a walk to plate Kendrick Calilao and Colby Halter followed with a sacrifice fly to right center that scored Josh Rivera to increase the advantage to 4-0.
In the third, a BT Riopelle solo homer put the Gators on top 5-0.
That was more than Florida needed on this night as Sproat threw a gem to build on a solid outing at Georgia a week ago. Sproat threw his curve ball as well as he ever had and kept a really good Razorbacks lineup at bay.
Arkansas did get on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. However, despite back to back fielding errors, Sproat was able to recover and retire the side before extensive damage could be enacted.
While that sequence was likely the biggest key to the win, Florida’s ability to rebound and score two runs in the bottom half of the fifth was almost just as important. Far too often during the Gators’ six SEC games losing streak, the levee would crack and the team came up with no answers, allowing for a huge inning and never recovering.
After a two out single in the sixth, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan went to the bullpen and brought in work-horse reliever Blake Purnell. The sideaemer navigated the situation and ended the inning before closing out the game, as well.
Individual Stats:
Langford: 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
Riopelle: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
Sproat: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Purnell: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER
Pitching Decision:
W: Brandon Sproat (4-3)
L: Hagen Smith (5-2)
S: Blake Purnell (3)
On Deck:
Florida and Arkansas will complete its series Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1:00 PM. Florida has not announced who will be the starter with O’Sullivan saying it’ll be one of three guys, without naming those three.
After a tough series loss against LSU and a disastrous weekend being swept by Georgia, the unrelenting schedule of weekend series continued as the Gators welcomed No. 2 Arkansas to town on Thursday.
On paper, Arkansas is excellent defensively: top-5 in fielding percentage and top-20 in ERA. The Hogs’ backed up the numbers, putting their defensive prowess on full display in the opening game.
Florida (19-11, 3-7 SEC) fell to No. 2 Arkansas (23-5, 8-2 SEC) in a brutal offensive outing for the Gators. Florida had as many runners on base as it did HBPs with four on the evening. Insult turned to more insult as the Razorbacks poured it on in their final frame.
“I felt the entire game, the pressure was on us to do something good,” catcher BT Riopelle said. “It almost seemed [like] we were waiting for something bad to happen.”
From the jump, the game looked to be a pitchers duel. Neither team recorded a hit after a leadoff single from Colby Halter. Hunter Barco and Arkansas’ Connor Noland traded three up, three down innings until the Razorbacks put two runners on base with a pair of walks. A tricky pop-up in the infield, some possible assistance from an uncalled interference, broke the stalemate and put the Hogs on board, 1-0.
Arkansas struck again in the fifth. After Barco hit opposing batter Zach Gregory with a pitch, the Razorbacks’ lead-off hitter Cayden Wallace put the ball in the right field gap to add another run to the scoreboard. Barco also let up an error on the play and advanced Wallace to first.
The game was still certainly in reach for the Gators despite a rocky start. That is, until things began to come apart at the seams in the top of the sixth.
Arkansas homered to left field on just the third pitch of the inning. The following two pitches, Barco let up a single and threw a wild pitch to advance the runner to second. After allowing another walk, Florida’s ace was relieved of his duties at that point in favor of the back end of the Gator bullpen, which has been the source of many a struggle this season. Tyler Nesbitt was handed the reigns first, allowing a single before working himself out of a jam.
The relievers held their own for the most part, allowing zero runs, until Nick Ficarrotta gave up two bombs in three pitches to increase the lead to five in the top of the ninth. Arkansas added two more as Florida ran a carousel of pitchers to try and close the frame.
Florida managed one run in the ninth, but it was far too little and far too late. The outing was a wholly disappointing performance for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s group.
“We’re trying get some momentum,” O’Sullivan said. “We felt like if we kept it to a three run game, anything could happen, but we let it get away from us again. It’s like a chain. Everyone’s gotta do their job and until we get to that point, we’re gonna struggle.”
Key Performances:
Sterlin Thompson
4 AB, 0 H, 1 RBI
Colby Halter
4 AB, 2 H (Single, Double), 1 R
Pitching Decision:
W: Connor Noland (ARK, 5-1)
7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER
L: Hunter Barco (UF, 5-2)
5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER
Save: Zebulon Vermillion (ARK, 2)
2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
On Deck
Florida will be back in action vs. the Razorbacks tomorrow. Brandon Sproat is expected to start on the mound tomorrow. With the best of the Gators’ bullpen behind them, picking up a win in the rest of the weekend series is going to be a struggle against a stout Arkansas defense.
Following last weekend’s road-series win over No. 17 Auburn, No. 7 Florida fell to No. 2 Florida State 4-2 after 10 innings Wednesday in Gainesville.
The Gators drop to 30-7 overall, 15-5 at home, and 6-4 against ranked opponents.
After a pair of scoreless opening innings, Florida hopped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when freshman center fielder Kendra Falby reached second base on an error and scored on senior second baseman Hannah Adams’ single up the middle.
B3 | @hmadamss11 puts the Gators on the board first as she cores @kfalby7 on a single up the middle! #GoGators
The Seminoles answered in the top of the fourth with a pair of base hits to tie the game, but the Gators regained a one-run advantage in the bottom of the fifth via senior third baseman Charla Echols’ RBI single.
In the top of the sixth, Florida State tied the game back up after stringing together a trio of singles off Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower. Hightower made her 14th start this season this season and pitched the first seven frames before turning the ball over to right-hander Natalie Lugo in extras.
Lugo cruised through the eighth and ninth innings but surrendered a go-ahead solo shot to lead off the top of the tenth. With one out, sophomore southpaw Haley Pittman relieved Lugo and yielded a double before a sacrifice fly gave Florida State a 4-2 lead.
The Gators failed to respond in the bottom of the tenth as senior Florida State pitcher Kathryn Sandercock forced three straight groundouts to secure the rivalry win and her 19th victory this season — third in the nation.
Final (R/H/E)
#2 Florida State: 4 / 11 / 2
#7 Florida: 2 / 9 / 0
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (7-3)
Loss: Sandercock (19-0)
Individual Stats
RHP Hightower: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
RHP Lugo: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Pittman: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
CF Falby: 2-5, R, 2B, K
SS Wallace: 1-5, R, 2 SB
2B Adams: 1-5, RBI, K
3B Echols: 2-3, RBI, 2 BB
DP Walsh: 1-5, K
RF Lindsey: 0-5, 3 K
C Roe: 2-3
1B A. Goelz: 0-3, BB
LF Kistler: 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB
Gators Welcome Tide
The Gators will look to bounce back this weekend as they get prepared to host No. 5 Alabama in a pivotal SEC series. It will mark Florida’s ninth consecutive game versus a ranked opponent. The Crimson Tide enter the matchup 31-5 overall and boast a conference-best 8-4 record. Saturday’s series opener is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and will air on ESPN.
Florida’s weekend series against the Georgia Bulldogs was simply disappointing. Getting swept is never good, but to lose three straight in the fashion the Gators did, especially in the context of the season? Just brutal.
The now unranked Gators (18-10, 3-6 SEC) dropped three straight to Georgia (22-6, 6-3 SEC), who moved up from No. 23 in the latest D1 Baseball top-25 to replace UF at No. 14. Following a previous weekend series loss to LSU and No. 2 Arkansas on the horizon, Florida is in a dangerous position as the season picks up.
It started on Thursday when Gators ace Hunter Barco was tasked with the series opener in Athens. The sophomore has been the exception to Florida’s overall pitching struggles this year, even being ranked first at his position by D1 Baseball, but that wasn’t the case against UGA. Barco gave up hits to the first four batters he faced and racked up a 30+ pitch count in the first inning.
Despite the subpar performance from Barco, the Gators still managed to hold the game even at four runs heading into the final inning. Jud Fabian came to the plate with Corey Robinson already on base. Fabian, who has been a star for UF all season, was certainly in striking distance to take the lead.
The first-pitch fastball came right down the middle, and Fabian crushed it.
The ball flew out to left center. Everyone knew it was gone the moment Fabian clubbed it. The junior trotted around the bases supported by the cheers of his dugout, and Florida was now a frame away from victory.
Except, UF’s pitching collapsed in the 9th, allowing three runs on two hits and a miraculous Georgia victory. The Gatorss found themselves down one game in disastrous fashion.
Friday’s loss was like a slow, painful death compared to the shocking defeat on Thursday. Brendon Sproat took the mound for UF and delivered a solid performance with 8 hits and 3 earned runs in 6 innings. Unfortunately, Florida’s bats were dead cold.
The Gators went hitless through the first four innings before BT Riopelle singled to right field. Georgia collected hits early on, but neither team could produce runs until the sixth when the ‘Dawgs took control. Three runs followed by three more in the eighth blew the game wide open for Georgia. At the end of the game, Florida had only coughed up one run and UGA was handed the series victory.
With the series already out of reach, the Gators came in to Saturday’s contest just hoping to scrape by with one victory and avoid a 1-3 week. Instead, they got a collapse sandwich.
Things looked promising at the start. Florida took a one run lead to open the game. The ‘Dawgs responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, but the Gators’ offense at least showed signs of life.
Florida’s Brandon Neely and former-Gator-turned-Bulldog Nolan Crisp battled it out on the mound, keeping the teams scoreless after the first, until UF’s bats exploded in the fifth. The Gators brought in five runs in the inning, capped off by another no-doubter from Jud Fabian into the trees of Foley Field.
Georgia picked up just one run in response and at the end of the fifth, the Gators led 6-3. It looked like the Gators may walk away from the horrible weekend with some semblance of a positive.
Wrong.
The ‘Dawgs came back with an even hotter streak, notching eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to regain the lead, 11-6. Florida got a run back in response, but UGA added three more in the eighth and shut out the Gators’ final frame to out the cherry on top of a series sweep.
Now, the Gators are at the dawn of a new week. They’ll be back at home on Tuesday vs. Florida A&M and will stay put for a weekend series against Arkansas. Florida has a lot on its plate as the Razorbacks look like one of the best teams in the nation. The Hogs are 21-5 and boast a strong defensive unit with the best fielding percentage in the SEC.
Florida has a lot of work to be done on both sides if it wants to improve its fortunes as three current top-10 teams in Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee make up the next three weekend opponents. Tuesday’s game against the Rattlers will have to be a solid performance to serve as a proper warm up before the difficulty increases again.
Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower hurled a complete-game shutout Sunday in Auburn en route to a 3-0 series-clinching victory over the Tigers. The senior Monticello, Florida, native allowed just three hits and a pair of walks while striking out five batters.
The Gators improve to 30-6 overall and 7-5 in conference play — sixth in the SEC.
Auburn right-hander Maddie Penta started in the circle and dealt four shutout innings before Florida right fielder Cheyenne Lindsey led off the top of the fifth with a double and scored on left fielder Katie Kistler’s one-out single.
T5 | Kistler comes through with an RBI single down the right field line to score Lindsey from second‼️ #GoGators
An inning later, the Gators added a a pair of insurance runs as freshman Reagan Walsh drove in her 32nd run this season and second baseman Hannah Adams scored on a wild pitch.
T6 | Back-to-Back singles from Wallace and Adams sets the table for an RBI single by Walsh! #GoGators
The Gators will return home to face No. 2 Florida State Wednesday. The Seminoles enter the matchup with a 35-2 overall record and a perfect 13-0 away record. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on the SEC Network.
After dropping the series opener Friday, Florida bounced back with a 7-6 victory at Auburn Saturday.
The Gators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after second baseman Hannah Adams doubled home center fielder Kendra Falby — who led off for the first time in five starts — and scored on catcher Emily Wilkie’s two-out single.
Freshman right-hander Lexie Delbrey made her 12th career start for Florida and retired Auburn’s first seven batters before she yielded a walk and a two-run shot in the bottom of the third to tie the game.
The Gators responded with four runs on seven hits in the top of the fourth. Freshman Sam Roe — who started at third base in place of senior Charla Echols — led off with a bunt single before she scored on a Falby single.
Shortstop Skylar Wallace and cleanup hitter Reagan Walsh each hit RBI doubles and right fielder Cheyenne Lindsey capped off the hit parade with an RBI single to give Florida a commanding 6-2 lead.
An inning later, Falby scored the Gators’ final run after the freshman poked an infield single and advanced 180 feet around the bases on Auburn catcher Aspyn Godwin’s costly throwing error.
T5 | Falby swipes her second bag of the game and scores on the throwing error‼️ #GoGators
Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo entered the circle in Delbrey’s relief in the fourth inning and pitched the remainder of the contest en route to earning her seventh win this season.
Lugo cruised through the fourth and fifth innings but gave up four earned runs on three extra-base hits — a double, triple and home run — across the final two frames. With two outs and runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh, Lugo forced a groundout to secure the one-run win.
Final (R/H/E)
#7 Florida: 7 / 13 / 1
#17 Auburn: 6 / 4 / 2
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (7-2)
Loss: Dismukes (2-1)
Individual Stats
RHP Delbrey: 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K [2.48/1.11 season ERA/WHIP]
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