Kyle Maistri
Pregame
UF will face off against 10-time WCWS champion UCLA. Another tremendous pitching matchup in the works as Stacey Nelson will battle Anjelica Selden. Selden is 29-4 with a 0.95 ERA coming into tonight's game. The Gators have the momentum coming off a win, UCLA lost to Arizona State last night to put them in this loser's bracket game. Two-time defending champion Arizona was eliminated by Alabama in other action. Taryne Mowatt was choked up in her final press conference in Oklahoma City after the Wildcats went two-and-out in WCWS play for the first time since 1990.
With the grounds crew watering the field, the first players have walked on to the field and into the UF dugout. Once again, the game should come down to who plays the best defense and gets hits with runners in scoring position.
1st Inning
Nelson gets into trouble in the top half of the first after allowing two singles. Hilberth, a defensive anchor in the infield, mishandles a pitch up in the zone and both runners are able to advance into scoring position. Nelson pitches out of the jam as she so often does. Unlike the first game against Virginia Tech, UF capitolizes on an early-inning scoring chance. Kim Waleszonia gets herself into scoring position with a walk and a steal. Defense proves crucial as usual, and Selden throws away a soft grounder by Ali Gardiner allowing Waleszonia to score from second. 1-0 Defense wins these games, or loses them.
Both team's fans are extremely loud, exchanging cheers in an effort to give their team an upper hand.
2nd Inning
Nelson cruises through a three-up, three-down inning. UCLA might be the only team in the field to start more freshmen than UF. The Bruins start four to the Gators' three. Although the program has a rich history at the WCWS, experience may not be as much of a factor in this case. The other glaring difference in the early going is Selden's inability to get ahead of hitters. Tincher was ahead in the count against the vast majority of UF's batters, Selden issued her second four-pitch walk of the game to Tiffany DeFelice to start the bottom half of the second. Selden bounces back and strikes out two on her way to getting out of the inning.
Corrie Brooks, who struck out with one out, is hitting seventh in the lineup, the highest she has hit all season. Brooks has had good at-bats in Oklahoma City and had only fanned one other time coming into the game. Impressive considering the Gators had gone down on strikes 34 times against Ashley Brignac and Angela Tincher combined.
3rd Inning
Nelson allows two singles but never really seemed to be in trouble. UCLA again strands runners and adds two strikeouts to Nelson's total (3). Selden responds with two strikeouts of her own, running her total to five for the game. At some point, the Gators are going to have to start putting the ball in play with regularity if they are going to make a run at the championship series.
4th Inning
Nelson struggles a bit with her control, issuing a free pass, but makes a pair of athletic defensive plays in the inning. I don't want to say Greg Maddux again, but she plays like Greg Maddux. With two outs, DeFelice breaks up the quiet no-hit bid from Selden. Not much else going for the Gators offense. One run looks like it could be enough for Nelson though.
5th Inning
Aja Paculba makes her first error of the tournament on a scorching ground ball off the bat of Katie Schroeder. Hilberth throws out Schroeder at second base to end the inning. Selden strikes out the side swinging, giving her nine for the game.
In response to The Pheonix's question, we think only two starters wear masks - DeFelice and Paculba. Off the bench, I believe Kristine Priebe and Kelsey Bruder also wear the face guard. The common denominator, they're all freshmen from California. Take that for what it's worth… very little.
6th Inning
Second baseman Amanda Kamekona lead off the inning with a bloop single to right field, making her a perfect 3-for-3 on the day. A sacrifice bunt and two ground balls later, and Nelson is out of the inning. Her ability to keep the ball out of the air has really helped the team today, give credit to the infield for playing extremely well in both games. UF appeared to create a great scoring chance when Waleszonia beat out a bunt that was thrown away by UCLA, allowing her to reach second base. The umpire then called her out for running inside the basepath, which replay showed to be a questionable call. Ali Gardiner sparks another two-out rally (she started the ninth inning rally against Tincher) with a single up the middle. Le-Nett Franklin comes in to pinch run and steals second. Francesca Enea, who Selden has fanned twice previously, smokes a ground ball down the third base line allowing Franklin to score from second easily. 2-0. Had Waleszonia not been called out, the seventh inning could have been huge for the Gators.
Did you know… the game was originally called "Kitten Ball" and then "Diamond Ball" before the term "Softball" came about in 1926. ASA Hall of Fame Stadium droppin' some knowledge on the scoreboard.
7th Inning
Nelson works a one-two-three inning to knock the Bruins out of the WCWS. Nelson's second shutout of the day gives the Gators their 69th win of the season.
UF advances to Sunday's semifinal against Texas A&M. The Aggies knocked the Gators out of the postseason last year in Super Regional play.
The win against Virginia Tech earlier in the day made UF the all-time winningest team in Division One softball history.
