Stacey Nelson has seemingly done it all in her four years at UF. Sunday, she accomplished something even she previously thought impossible.
Nelson threw her first career no-hitter in No. 1 UF's 4-0 win at Mississippi on Sunday. The senior pitched two complete-game shutouts and led the Gators (27-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) to a weekend sweep of the Rebels (11-12, 0-6 SEC) in Oxford, Miss.
Despite a pitcher's usual practice of not focusing on or talking about a potential no-hitter, Nelson admitted her mind kept wandering back to the idea of her first career no-hitter.
"I didn't believe it until that last out," she said. "I always had a joke that no-hitters just weren't my thing."
Nelson (14-2, 0.40 ERA) also made her way into the NCAA record books by improving her career record to 109-33, tied for 25th on the NCAA all-time wins list with Jennie Finch, who won 109 games for Arizona.
Ali Gardiner hit an RBI double to center in the first inning to start the scoring for the Gators on Sunday. Shortstop Megan Bush added to the lead in the fourth with her seventh home run of the season. Later that inning, second baseman Aja Paculba knocked in the final run of the game with a double down the left-field line.
Nelson's first victory of the weekend came in the Gators' 2-0 win in Game 1 of their doubleheader Saturday. UF's ace gave up five hits and struck out 10.
Nelson traded zeros with Mississippi pitcher Becky Nye until the sixth inning, when Gardiner launched a solo home run over the scoreboard in right-center field for the first run of the game.
"Hitting is contagious, so once you get one hit, the next few will come and open up the game," Gardiner said. "It changed the momentum for sure."
Nelson struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth, and Aja Paculba added an insurance run with a single up the middle that drove in Michelle Moultrie in the seventh inning.
The Gators took that late-game momentum at the plate into Game 2 and put 12 runs on the board. Sophomore Stephanie Brombacher (13-0, 0.79 ERA) followed up Nelson's performance with a shutout of her own and allowed only four hits while striking out seven batters.
