In a game between two top-10 Southeastern Conference softball teams, it was the men in blue who took center stage at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Saturday.
No. 3 Florida (26-3, 3-2 SEC) and No. 6 Tennessee (23-5, 3-2 SEC) went eight innings for the second straight game, but the matchup was bookended by missed calls from first-base umpire Ron Alexander.
In the first inning, Tennessee first baseman Cheyanne Tarango hit a slow groundball up the middle. Florida second baseman Kelsey Stewart made a backhanded grab and bounced a jump throw to first base. Alexander ruled Tarango safe.
The Volunteers scored the game’s first run two batters later.
“The ball wasn’t bouncing our way today,” coach Tim Walton said.
Tennessee scored two runs in its half of the eighth inning, but Florida had the heart of its order due up in the bottom half.
Freshman Kirsti Merritt led off the inning and hit a slow roller to third base. Volunteers senior Raven Chavanne fired the ball over to first. It reached the bag a step behind Merritt.
Alexander punched his fist and called her out.
First-base coach Kenny Gajewski grabbed his helmet and jumped in disbelief while Walton sprinted from the third-base coaching box. Merritt stood on first. No amount of arguing could change the umpire’s opinion.
Sophomore Lauren Haeger flew out and pinch hitter Jessica Damico struck out to end the game.
“I can’t talk about umpires,” Walton said after the game.
But between the calls at first base, Haeger and Volunteers pitcher Ellen Renfroe dueled for the entire game. Renfroe struck out 14 Gators en route to her eighth victory of the season, nearly matching her 15-strikeout performance against Florida in Knoxville last season.
“It’s hard to win when you strike out 14 times,” Haeger said.
Haeger picked up her first loss of the season, giving up three runs on six hits. The sophomore right-hander struck out six while walking four.
“It seemed like her velocity was probably not as hard as last night,” Walton said. “Which I think is telling you that she is a little more composed.”
Renfroe held the Gators scoreless for seven out of eight innings. The lone blemish came on a 3-1 pitch to Haeger in the fourth inning. Haeger took an outside pitch the opposite way for a home run to right-center field.
The Gators offense will have a chance to redeem itself on Sunday as they play the Volunteers in the rubber match of the three-game series.
“I think, for both teams, it’d be a huge win,” Walton said. “The difference of one win tomorrow kind of separates yourself from the middle of the pack.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Lauren Haeger stands in the circle between pitches during Florida's 4-1 home loss to USF on March 28, 2012. Haeger struck out five in the Gators 9-1 win against the Bulls on Wednesday.
