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Junior comes up big on Senior Day as Florida softball beats Texas A&M

<p>Taylore Fuller bats during Florida's 8-0 win against Indiana on Feb. 22, 2014 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.</p>

Taylore Fuller bats during Florida's 8-0 win against Indiana on Feb. 22, 2014 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

It may have been senior day for the Gators on Saturday, but a junior stole the show.

With the Gators down 5-2 in the fourth inning, Taylore Fuller clobbered a grand slam to take a 6-5 lead against Texas A&M.

The slam was one of three home runs hit by Florida as the No. 1 Gators (46-4, 15-4 Southeastern Conference) came back and defeated the No. 25 Aggies (34-16, 9-11 SEC) 9-5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

“It wasn’t the way you want senior day to start,” coach Tim Walton said. “But it definitely ended the way you’d like senior day to end.”

Florida fell into an early 1-0 hole when Celena Massey cranked a solo home run to left field off Aleshia Ocasio in the top of the second inning.

The Aggies added to their lead with three more runs in the top of the third.

Florida shortstop Kathlyn Medina lost a pop-up in the sun and Ocasio tossed a wild pitch that allowed the runner to reach third base before she came home on a single form TAMU right fielder Cali Lanphear.

Ocasio was then knocked out of the game after Massey crushed her second homer of the game to right field. Bailey Castro ranged back and had a beat on the ball, but it bounced out of her glove and over the right field wall.

“I mean, I threw it over the fence basically,” Castro said.

Already up 4-0, TAMU tacked on another run in the fourth on an Ashley Walters solo home run to center field off Delanie Gourley.

At the hands of a five-run deficit after three and a half innings, Florida’s bats woke up in the bottom of the fourth.

Kirsti Merritt doubled to start the rally and Lauren Haeger knocked her in on a two-run blast to cut the Aggies’ lead to 5-2.

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Then three walks loaded the bases before Fuller ripped the grand slam to left field to give the Gators a one-run lead.  

The grand slam was Fuller’s eighth of her career and fourth of the season. The Trenton, Florida, native finished the game 1-for-3 with four RBI and is third on the team with 10 home runs.

“The girls talk about it,” Fuller said. “I have a job that I have to do, and it just ended up being a grand slam.”

A Merritt sacrifice fly produced the seventh run of the inning and extended Florida’s lead to 7-5.

In the bottom of the fifth, Castro cranked a solo home run to left field to push the score to 8-5. The homer was Castro’s 15th of the season.

“Bailey came up to me after I hit mine and said, ‘I’m so proud of you, that’s my dream, you know to hit a home run on senior day,’ and then she goes up and does the same thing,” Haeger said. “I was so happy for her.”

Castro and Haeger have been neck and neck all season for the team lead in home runs. Haeger’s 16 blasts lead Castro by one.

“Whenever I hit a home run I’m always like, ‘Lauren, I’m coming for you. I’m right behind you,’” Castro said.

The Gators tacked on their ninth and final run in the sixth when Haeger doubled in a run. The Peoria, Arizona, native finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Gourley earned the win and improved to 9-1 after throwing 4.2 innings in relief. The sophomore struck out four and allowed one earned run in her appearance.

Florida will look to sweep the series Sunday at 1 p.m. A win would mark four straight series sweeps of SEC teams.

Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12

Taylore Fuller bats during Florida's 8-0 win against Indiana on Feb. 22, 2014 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

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