The Florida softball team (9-1) earned itself the Lipton Invitational title by capping off a 5-0 weekend with a 1-0 win over East Carolina (2-7) on Sunday.
The game was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as the teams combined for only three hits.
Aja Paculba walked to lead off the game, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and then scored on a single by Francesca Enea.
ECU pitcher Toni Paisley faced the minimum number of batters the rest of the way, retiring the Gators in order four out of the final five innings and erasing her only walk with a double play.
“I told our kids last week that this is one of the best pitchers we’d face early in the season, and obviously it was true,” UF coach Tim Walton said.
Still, the one run would be all pitcher Stephanie Brombacher and UF's defense would need, as the junior recorded her fourth win of the weekend.
Brombacher appeared in all but one of the team’s five tournament games, throwing 318 pitches in the process.
In 21.1 innings of work, she allowed only a single run while recording 31 strikeouts.
“I feel good about this weekend,” Brombacher said. “I know I can still be better but this weekend was a lot better than our first weekend was.”
It seemed like all those innings and all those pitches had taken their toll when in the seventh, she gave up a lead-off double and, after a sacrifice bunt, and was faced with a runner on third and only one out.
But UF’s ace quickly settled down, striking out ECU's Cicely Lopez on four pitches for the inning’s second out.
That brought ECU second baseman Charina Sumner to the plate, and she ripped an 0-2 pitch down the third-base line.
But before the inning Walton told senior Corrie Brooks to guard the line, allowing her to knock it down and throw Sumner out from her knees.
It was a very close call at first, leaving doubt in even Brooks’ mind as to the play’s outcome.
“Even when Megan (Bush) caught the ball, I still wasn’t sure cause the umpire took a few seconds, but I’m glad it worked out for us,” Brooks said.
