Florida may be taking a more small-ball approach this season, but for now, Kelsey Horton is making sure the power of the past remains.
Horton went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in No. 1 Florida’s 10-2 win against Jacksonville in six innings Wednesday.
The junior designated hitter’s homer was her third in just six games this season, only four home runs short of the seven she hit during the 2011 campaign.
Horton’s mark currently leads the team while last year’s leader, junior catcher Brittany Schutte, has yet to go yard.
“It will be everyone at some point,” Horton said. “I’m just happy it can be me right now.”
The Gators (6-0) took an early 2-0 lead when Horton smacked a homer over the left-field wall in the bottom of the second, driving home sophomore shortstop Cheyenne Coyle.
The two-run shot was Florida’s first hit of the game off Jacksonville starting pitcher Brittany Eppley.
“[Horton]’s a little more composed, thinking about her at-bats a little less,” coach Tim Walton said.
UF would only record one more hit against Eppley but chased her from the game in the bottom of the fourth.
Freshman pitcher Lauren Haeger (2-0) led off the inning with a walk. Schutte followed with a base hit, and after another walk to Coyle the bases were loaded.
The Dolphins (2-4) pulled Eppley in favor of Sarah Sigrest and the floodgates opened.
Horton fouled out to the catcher, then Ensley Gammel doubled down the left-field line, driving in two runs and doubling the Gators’ lead to 4-0.
Walks to freshman Jessica Damico and senior Michelle Moultrie pushed in another run.
“We’re not going to come out and hit 12 home runs, but we have a lot of tools to score a lot of runs in different ways,” Horton said.
On the other side of the ball, Haeger made her home debut and mostly held Jacksonville in check.
The freshman pitcher threw a complete game, yielding four hits and two unearned runs, walking two and striking out seven.
Haeger’s nerves got the best of her in the early going as she loaded the bases in the top of the second inning with just one out on two singles and a walk.
However, she induced a lineout and a groundout to finish the inning without ceding a run, beginning a stretch of eight straight retired batters.
“I felt the pressure a little bit, but once I got going, it felt a lot easier,” Haeger said.
The Dolphins proved a pesky foe as the game carried on, tagging Haeger with two runs in the top of the fifth.
But UF overpowered JU, adding five more runs in the game’s final two frames for the run-rule victory.
“It’s fair to say [Haeger]’s doing well,” Walton said. “But she’s got a long way to go to get where her location needs to be.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Florida freshman pitcher Lauren Haeger threw a complete game, striking out seven and walking two in the Gators’ 10-2 win Wednesday.
