The UF softball team's journey to California was more than just a chance to play some of the top teams in the country. It gave many Gators originally from the Golden State an opportunity to shine in front of their families and friends.
No. 2 UF (9-1) used a 5-run fifth inning to top No. 14 Fresno State (3-2) 8-0 in the Gators' first game of the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. UF scored its 8 runs on five hits from five different players, four of whom were native Californians.
The game, played in a replica of Boston's historic Fenway Park, was UF's seventh straight mercy-rule victory and eighth shutout of the season.
Left fielder Francesca Enea, originally from Woodland Hills, Calif., got the Gators off to a quick start, sending a 2-run shot out of left-center field for her team-leading 22nd and 23rd RBIs of the season.
Second baseman Aja Paculba, who walked in all four of her plate appearances in her new leadoff spot, scored on Enea's fifth long ball of the season.
"When it happened, the first thing I thought was, 'My parents and my sister got to see that,' so it meant a lot," Enea said.
The Gators had a comfortable 5-0 lead over the Bulldogs when Megan Bush stepped to the plate in the top of the fifth. Her 3-run homer, her first of the season, flew into the replica Green Monster and put the game out of reach.
"I could kind of tell right when I hit it that it was gone," Bush said. "After the tone had already been set (by Enea's home run), that just kept it going that we weren't done."
Third baseman Corrie Brooks recorded a hit for the sixth straight game, as she knocked in 2 runs on a two-out double to center field in the fifth.
Sophomore Stephanie Brombacher improved to 5-0 on the year, allowing only three hits and walking just one batter while striking out two. Brombacher has still not allowed a run this season.
The Gators' second game of the night, which started at 11:30 p.m. against No. 3 Arizona State, was not completed by press time.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
