It was a family affair for the Gators on Easter Sunday.
Of the 20 players on UF's roster, 18 saw action against Longwood in an 11-2 victory that went only five innings due to the mercy rule.
The only players in orange-and-blue uniforms who didn't see the field were Shaunice Harris, who is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and Stephanie Brombacher, who wasn't called on for pitching duty.
"I want them all to get a bunch of hits and feel good about themselves," said UF coach Tim Walton when asked about players who don't normally get into the game.
The No. 3 Gators (35-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) jumped on the Lancers (17-10) early when junior Kim Waleszonia scored from second on a two-out double by sophomore Francesca Enea. Senior Mary Ratliff then singled home Enea, giving UF a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
The offense added two more runs in the third but wouldn't really explode until the fourth inning, when it got two big extra-base hits from a couple of freshmen.
After Waleszonia hit a triple to right field and scored on an error, the Gators loaded the bases for Kelsey Bruder who delivered a three-run double to left field.
Junior Brittany Handy had her first at-bat of the season when she drew a walk pinch-hitting for shortstop Megan Bush.
Walton would pinch-hit again for the next hitter, this time with freshman Kristen Adkins, who crushed a three-run bomb off the scoreboard in left field, scoring the final three runs for UF.
"It was awesome," said junior Stacey Nelson (21-2), who pitched all five innings for the Gators. "I would say one through nine (played well), but it was more like one through 15."
Nelson gave up two unearned runs in the top of fifth when UF emphatically broke its nine-game errorless streak by committing three in the same inning - two by Bush and one by Enea.
The easy victory wrapped up a less-than-exciting series against the clearly overmatched Longwood. The Gators are now 8-0 all-time against the Lancers, with all of the games decided by five runs or more.
In the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, UF again needed just five innings on the way to a 9-1 blowout win with Nelson inside the circle.
In game two, Adkins got her first career start for the Gators. She pitched four solid innings, allowing four hits and giving up no walks or runs in her first career victory.
"It's great for us. It's important for us," said Adkins of the role players' contributions. "Eventually, we're going to have to fill some holes."
Brombacher came in to finish the last three innings, earning her second save of the season in a 6-0 decision.
After Sunday's game, Walton said he was impressed with the entire team's ability to contribute - in particular, Bruder and Adkins - but said it isn't likely the bench players' roles will be increased once SEC play resumes.
"We're pretty set in what we're doing right now," he said.
