Lauren Haeger stepped to the plate with two outs and center fielder Kirsti Merritt on second base on Saturday.
Haeger was quickly buried in a two-strike count but only needed to find a hole in the infield to score Merritt with the game-tying run given the freshman’s speed.
Auburn pitcher Marcy Harper delivered a pitch, and the sophomore right-hander sent a fly ball to right field — directly into the glove of Tigers outfielder Branndi Melero to end the game.
After scoring 13 runs in the series opener against Auburn, No. 3 Florida’s (25-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) offense stagnated with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 9 in the final two games of the series.
“It’s always frustrating to leave runners in scoring position,” freshman catcher Taylore Fuller said. “It’s part of the game. We just have to learn how to work through it. We have pressure on us to score runs, but we know it’s eventually going to come.”
The hits were nowhere to be found with runners on base Saturday and Sunday. The lone knock with a runner in scoring position came in Saturday’s losing effort. Sophomore Briana Little belted a three-run home run with freshman Kelsey Stewart on second and Haeger on first.
But Little was not immune to the Gators’ struggles. She failed to drive in Stewart from third earlier in the game.
However, Little was often the one stranded on base.
She had a strong weekend, batting .800 against the Tigers with an on-base percentage of .900 — production that earned her SEC Player of the Week honors on Monday.
Little was 2 for 3 with runners in scoring position against Auburn.
“I just came out ready to play,” Little said.
But while the sophomore battered the Tigers, the Gators’ biggest bats fell silent in the final two games of the series.
Haeger, who leads Florida in home runs with seven, went 0 for 5 on Saturday and Sunday. She saw her batting average tumble from .397 to .372.
Sophomore Bailey Castro is tied for second on the team in long balls with five, but she also struggled after Friday’s outburst. She went 0 for 4 in those two games and is now hitting .246.
Despite Florida’s most recent struggles, coach Tim Walton thinks the hits will come soon enough.
“It’s just about getting timely hits,” he said. “I don’t know that we’re really going to focus on that. I think it’s just finding a way to get on base and do the things that we’re capable of.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Kelsey Stewart gets tagged out at home during Florida’s 9-1 win against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 17 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Stewart picked up two hits in the Gators' 3-2 loss to Georgia on Friday.
