With center fielder Kim Waleszonia out of the lineup with a knee injury until at least the end of the regular season, the Gators will need someone to step up at the plate. This weekend, Kelsey Bruder answered the call.
The sophomore's three home runs over the weekend led No. 2 UF (22-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) to its first three conference wins in a sweep of South Carolina (12-5, 0-3 SEC) in Columbia, S.C.
Batting second in the order - where Waleszonia hit most of the season, Bruder led the way offensively for the Gators in Saturday's doubleheader against the Gamecocks. With Game 1 tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning, Bruder cranked an opposite-field, 2-run shot to put UF ahead 4-2 in the extra frame.
"That was a huge hit for her and for us," UF coach Tim Walton said. "Really, every one of her home runs were game-winning home runs."
Senior pitcher Stacey Nelson (11-2) struck out two in the bottom of the eighth, and UF escaped with the win. Nelson struck out 10 batters and only walked one in her eight innings of work Saturday.
"Stacey made one bad pitch and gave up a two-out hit, but overall I thought we played pretty well," Walton said. "South Carolina's good - they've won 12 games for a reason."
Bruder got her second home run of the day in her next at-bat, which came in the top of the first in Game 2, giving the Gators a quick 1-0 lead. The right fielder went 3 for 4 in UF's 3-1 win in the second game.
Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Brombacher (11-0) pitched a complete game, giving up four hits and 1 run while striking out seven.
Sunday brought another contest and yet another home run for Bruder, who hit a solo shot to right field in her first at-bat of Game 3. UF followed up the sophomore's seventh home run of the season with a 4-run second inning. Two runners scored on a single to right field by second baseman Aja Paculba, and first baseman Ali Gardiner singled to right to drive in 2 more runs, giving the Gators a 5-0 lead after two innings.
UF added the final run of the game in the fifth when freshman Lauren Heil, pinch running for Francesca Enea, scored on a passed ball.
The 6 runs were more than Nelson needed, as she shut out the Gamecocks and gave up only five hits.
As expected, Michelle Moultrie filled in for Waleszonia in center field, and the freshman took the eighth spot in the order for most of the weekend. Moultrie provided a spark for the Gators in Game 2 with an RBI double and a run in the fourth inning, but she struggled at the plate Sunday, going 0 for 3.
"She had a couple good hits (Saturday)," Walton said. "Overall, she played OK. She's got a lot to learn still."
