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Friday, March 29, 2024
<p>Kirsti Merritt smiles as she slides into third base during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.</p>

Kirsti Merritt smiles as she slides into third base during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

No. 1 Florida fell to Auburn on Friday after a first-inning home run created a deficit from which UF couldn’t come back. The Gators’ early exit from the Southeastern Conference Tournament came in the semifinals for the second year in a row.

The tournament has come to represent an obstacle that even the back-to-back national champions cannot overcome. What’s more, Florida’s (53-5, 21-5) 2-1 loss was delivered at the hands of the same team that handed UF its first loss of the season on March 14. The No. 8 Tigers advanced to the semifinals and beat No. 15 LSU to capture its second consecutive SEC Tournament title.

Despite finishing the regular season with the best conference record, Florida hasn’t claimed the tournament championship since 2013.

But Florida’s Friday loss was all-but decided on one swing.

In the top of the first inning after a two-out double, Auburn’s Carlee Wallace stepped to the plate.

With no balls and two strikes, Wallace, wearing double zeros, keyed in on a pitch up in the strikezone.

Wallace’s swing sent the ball soaring over the left-centerfield fence. UF senior Kirsti Merritt sprinted from centerfield to try and rob the home run, but she was a second late as the ball squeaked over the wall, giving Auburn a 2-0 lead.

That lead would prove insurmountable for Florida, who couldn’t get much of anything going offensively.

"Offensively, we just need to be aggressive,” coach Tim Walton said in a release. “We swung the bat passively and didn't spray the ball around the field. We have to hit the ball to right field as much as we do to left.”

Auburn’s Kaylee Carlson commanded the Tiger defense from the pitcher’s circle.

She pitched a complete game in both senses of the term, striking out only two but recording multiple outs as a fielder, siphoning ground balls before they could get to her defense and throwing Gators out at first.

Florida had a genuine scoring opportunity in the bottom of the sixth.

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Senior Kelsey Stewart hit a groundball to Carlson on the mound, but Carlson’s throw got lost in the sun to the eyes of first baseman Jade Rhodes. The ball hit Rhodes in the head as Stewart safely landed at first base.

Then freshman Amanda Lorenz hit her team-leading 14th double to center field, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Two batters later, Lorenz left to early on an ensuing line drive and was doubled up at second base, ending the both the inning and Florida’s threat to score.

Florida scored its lone run in the seventh, when a ground ball off the bat of Aleshia Ocasio had a wild throw to first base, giving sophomore Nicole DeWitt enough time to score from second on the error.

But it wouldn’t matter, as pinch hitter Chelsea Herndon struck out on three pitches, collapsing comeback hopes for the Gators.

Freshman Kelly Barnhill (15-1) was handed the first loss of her college career.

"We pitched well the last two games,” Walton said. “Playing in a single elimination format, I thought Kelly, Aleshia and Delanie (Gourley) all threw the ball well this weekend. Defensively, we made some nice plays and did a good job.”

“We have to be able to hit the ball and be as productive as we can. I didn't think we had very many productive outs, as we didn't swing the bat with authority."

 

Kirsti Merritt smiles as she slides into third base during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

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