Michelle Moultrie got off to a great start in her final home game.
Florida’s lone senior led off the bottom of the first with her 10th home run of the year, putting the Gators (43-7, 20-4 Southeastern Conference) on the board immediately in their 5-0 victory against the Wildcats (25-27, 11-13 SEC) on Saturday.
“I almost didn’t believe it until, probably, I got to second base and I was, like, trying to take it in,” Moultrie said. “(My teammates) coming to meet me at home plate means a lot. That’s just the kind of people they are.”
With her team leading 3-0 after one, Moultrie trotted back to the plate in the second to deliver an RBI single and then stole second. She went 2 for 4 on the day with two RBI.
Coach Tim Walton said there was no better way to send off a Gator great.
“It was the coolest thing ever,” Walton said. “Not only are you the only senior, but also you’re good enough to hit a home run on Senior Day in your first at bat. That’s impressive. She never ceases to amaze me.”
Freshman Lauren Haeger, who guaranteed a victory in today’s game following Friday night’s loss to the Wildcats, tossed her 10th complete game and fifth shutout with plenty of run support from her offense.
“We all wanted to come out here and play for Michelle and it’s always nice when she starts things out with a home run,” Haeger said. “Everyone coming together for her was so emotional.”
The Gators had offensive production from Bailey Castro and Katie Medina along with Moultrie. Castro added a two-run home run, her fifth of the season, soon after Moultrie’s in the first frame. Medina singled in Kelsey Horton in the bottom of the third for her eighth RBI of the year.
Florida’s strong performance at the plate came just a day after being shutout to Kentucky, 2-0. On Saturday, the Gators turned the tables on the Wildcats by shutting them out on just five hits while scoring five runs on eight hits.
“I thought we did a good job by getting an early lead,” Walton said. “When we get the lead it makes things a lot easier for sure. We’re hard to beat when we have a lead.”
With his team in control, Walton took out Moultrie with two outs in the top of the seventh. As Moultrie made her way to the dugout from centerfield, the fans rose to give the senior a standing ovation.
“(I’m) just thankful for everything that everything this program has done for me,” Moultrie said. “The whole thing before [the game], everybody saying all these nice things and then going out and having a good game was just a really cool experience.”
