The No. 4 Gators (24-1) began Southeastern Conference play with a bang on Friday night.
Florida's offense exploded in a 13-0 shutout against Auburn (17-6) at Jane B. Moore Field in the first of three games against the Tigers.
The scoring began slowly. After being set down in order in the first inning, the Gators scored a run on a fielder’s choice in the second.
In the next frame, Florida added three more runs on a single by sophomore Briana Little and a double by junior Stephanie Tofft.
Little reached base in all four of her plate appearances on Friday. After hitting a double in the second inning and notching her RBI single in the third, Little was walked and hit by a pitch.
“I just came out ready to play,” Little said. “We were getting ready, and I felt really good.”
But the offense put the game away in the fourth inning.
Sophomore Katie Medina led off the inning with a groundout, but freshmen Kelsey Stewart and Kirsti Merritt both reached base, setting the stage for Lauren Haeger.
Haeger hit her team-leading seventh home run off the scoreboard in left field, giving Florida a 7-0 lead.
“I saw the first pitch really well,” Haeger said. “I just got a good swing on it.”
But the Gators were not done with the long ball.
After Little and Tofft walked and senior Kelsey Horton singled, sophomore Bailey Castro pinch hit for Medina. She rocketed a ball over the scoreboard Haeger targeted for her second pinch-hit grand slam this season.
The Gators added a final run in the fifth on a wild pitch.
While the offense was hammering the ball, Hannah Rogers shut down the Auburn bats.
The junior righty gave up two hits in four innings of work, and combined with sophomore Alyssa Bache for a three-hit shutout.
The Gators and Tigers play the second game in the three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Bailey Castro bats during an exhibition against Santa Fe on Nov. 7, 2012, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Castro struck out in a key spot in Florida's 7-3 win against Florida State on Wednesday.
