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Friday, March 29, 2024
<p dir="ltr"><span>Florida outfielder/first baseman Amanda Lorenz leads the team with 17 hits.</span></p>
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Florida outfielder/first baseman Amanda Lorenz leads the team with 17 hits.

 

Friday night saw the first two games of the six-game Bubly Invitational for Florida’s softball team. Florida swept the doubleheader with a 7-0 victory against Illinois State and a 4-0 win over Florida A&M. Here’s how it happened:

Barnhill and Farley silence the Redbirds

The Gators faced the Illinois State Redbirds (1-11) in the first game of a weekend tournament for the third-straight time. And for the third-straight time, the Gators started their weekend with a victory.

Kelly Barnhill threw 10 strikeouts in five innings, including eight in a row. The senior, who has won SEC Player of the Week back-to-back weeks, didn’t allow a run, and the Redbirds did not put a ball in play until the top of the fourth inning.

“It was a good night,” Barnhill said. “Whenever you have that run support, pitching’s easy.”

The Gators’ offense has taken early leads against its opponents as of late, and that did not change against Illinois State.

The Gators only had first baseman Jordan Matthews on first with two outs. A pair of singles, however, loaded the bases for second baseman Hannah Adams, who lined an RBI single to give the Gators an early 1-0 lead.

Third baseman Hannah Sipos tripled the lead with a blooper that found an open spot in center field.

The Gators broke the game open with a four-run third inning.

They loaded the bases with one out and took advantage when center fielder Alex Voss lined a 1-0 pitch from Illinois State pitcher Mack Leonard right back at Leonard. The ball took an awkward bounce off the pitcher, which allowed everyone to reach base successfully and scored a run.

Florida picked up two more runs in the inning after consecutive batters were hit by a pitch from Leonard and her replacement, Morgan Day, to make it 6-0. Jordan Matthews drew a walk a batter later to make it 7-0.

Illinois State’s offense couldn’t muster much of anything against Barnhill and freshman Danni Farley. Farley came in for Barnhill in the top of the sixth and did not allow a hit in her two innings of work.

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“I thought [Danni] did a good job,” coach Tim Walton said. “Pitched out of some trouble, commanded her pitches, got some swings and misses.”

Lorenz seals it against Florida A&M

Amanda Lorenz dug into the left side of the batter’s box in the bottom of the sixth inning. There were runners on the corners, two outs and the Gators were up by just one run.

The usually patient first baseman looked at the first pitch and didn’t bite. Ball one.

She watched Florida A&M pitcher Kyaira Brown step and deliver the second pitch, and crushed it out of Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, 4-0, Gators.

Lorenz’s three-run blast gave the Gators, who improved to 14-0 on the season with the victory, a lead it did not surrender.

“I’m just a see ball, hit ball person,” Lorenz said. “I don’t pick pitches… saw one over the inside part of the plate that I could hit.”

Sophomore pitcher Natalie Lugo, who relieved starter Elizabeth Hightower after just two innings, kept Florida A&M off the scoreboard while Florida struggled against Brown.

Lugo, who struck out a career-high 13 batters on Wednesday, fanned nine Rattlers, walked one, gave up two hits and didn’t allow a run in five innings.

The Gators’ first run came in the third inning. Right fielder Jaimie Hoover lined Brown’s 1-1 offering into left field with Lorenz on second and catcher Jordan Roberts on first. FAMU left fielder Shakayla Nixon fumbled the ball and it above catcher Alexis Blasingane, allowing Lorenz to score from second to put the Gators ahead 1-0.

After that, Brown kept the UF offense off balance and off the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth inning.

The inning looked like it wouldn’t amount to much after second baseman Hannah Adams lined out and pinch hitter Danielle Romanello struck out on six pitches.

Outfielder Alex Voss, pinch-hitting for center fielder Jade Caraway, smacked a double to keep the inning alive. Shortstop Sophia Reynoso extended the inning by reaching on an infield single, which set up Lorenz’s home run to cement the Gators’ win.

“That’s all Alex Voss and Sophia for getting on,” Lorenz said. “That’s not possible without them doing what they did with two outs, it’s all them.”

Follow Brendan Farrell on Twitter @Bfarrell727 and contact him at bfarrell@alligator.org.

Amanda Lorenz’s three-run home run propelled the Gators to a win over Florida A&M on Friday. 

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