Florida only managed one hit against Auburn on Sunday, but it was a big one.
Freshman Taylore Fuller, who had just six hits coming into the game, sent the first pitch she saw from Tigers pitcher Lexi Davis over the center-field fence.
“[Davis] had been throwing first-pitch strikes consistently throughout the lineup,” Fuller said.
“So I knew it was going to be a strike … I just trusted my hands and went with the pitch.”
Fuller’s third-inning solo blast was all the No. 4 Gators (25-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) needed in their 2-0 win in the rubber game against the Tigers (18-7, 1-2 SEC).
Fuller got on base all three times she came to the plate, drawing a walk in her second at-bat and reaching on an error in the third.
But the rest of Florida’s offense was stagnant, and Fuller was stranded each of those two times.
The Gators added a second run in the fourth inning. Sophomore Lauren Haeger walked to open the frame, and Briana Little was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.
Senior Kelsey Horton dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and Jessica Damico lifted a fly ball to left field, scoring Haeger on a close play at the plate.
Aside from those two runs, Florida had trouble plating runners.
Florida left five on base in their 5-4 loss to Auburn on Saturday, and their situational hitting did not get better on Sunday.
The Gators had runners on base in every inning, but the offense’s lack of hits stranded nearly all of them on the base paths. Florida was 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position and 0 for 7 with runners on base.
“It’s always frustrating to leave runners in scoring position,” Fuller said.
“We just have to learn how to work through it.”
Though the offense struggled, two runs were enough for Hannah Rogers.
The junior right-hander picked up her 13th win of the season after being saddled with the loss on Saturday.
“I used the loss as motivation to just go out there and play my best,” Rogers said.
Rogers cruised through the first four innings, allowing only three base runners on two hits and a walk. But in the fifth, the junior got into her first jam of the day.
Rogers walked a batter and gave up a single to consecutive batters but escaped the jam when Tigers shortstop Kelsey Bogaards popped up to second baseman Kelsey Stewart, who threw the runner out at first to complete the double play.
An inning later, Rogers worked into a similar jam, walking the leadoff batter. The next reached first on a fielding error. But a flyout, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout later, she returned to the dugout with her sixth scoreless frame.
Rogers got two groundouts and a foul out in the final inning to end Florida’s ninth game in 10 days.
“I think we’re a little bit tired,” coach Tim Walton said. “We didn’t necessarily hit the ball as well as we’re capable of.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Junior starter Hannah Rogers pitches during Florida’s 9-1 victory against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 17 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Rogers gave up five runs to Mississippi State in the second inning on Sunday.
