A 12-batter fourth inning gave Florida what it needed to seal the win in Tampa on Thursday.
After going without a hit through the first three innings and falling behind 1-0, the No. 4 Gators rallied in the fourth, scoring seven runs in the inning as UF defeated No. 25 USF 10-3 on the road to start the season.
“When you’re facing a team like South Florida, as good as they are, and you’re facing one of the best pitchers in the country, I thought our bats were really good,” coach Tim Walton said in a release.
“Overall, I think it was not our best performance, but we’re not measuring our best performance; we’re just trying to get W’s every single game.”
After USF left-handed pitcher Sara Nevins hit sophomore Taylor Schwarz and junior Bailey Castro to start the fourth inning, sophomore Aubree Munro dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position.
From there, junior Briana Little hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1.
Nevins then walked freshman Justine McLean, loading the bases for Florida. Sophomores Kelsey Stewart and Kirsti Merritt followed up with back-to-back singles, bringing in three runs to give Florida a 4-1 lead.
Florida finished the fourth inning with a 7-1 lead after hits by junior Lauren Haeger and Schwarz drove in three runners. Schwarz led the team with three RBIs.
In the pitching circle, senior Hannah Rogers pitched her 82nd complete game for Florida and won her 98th career game, the second-highest win total in UF’s history. After giving up a home run to South Florida’s Ta’coia Williams in the first inning, the Lake Wales native only gave up six additional hits while striking out six batters in the contest.
While Rogers had a dominating performance, South Florida struggled in the circle, as Nevins, Sam Greiner and Karla Claudio walked a combined 11 batters and hitting five with pitches.
The three pitchers struggled with their command throughout the game. Schwarz and Merritt were each hit two times while McLean, Haeger and Tofft drew two walks each in the contest.
Florida’s trip to Tampa will extend through the weekend as it starts the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament today. UF will play a double-header, facing Illinois State at 11 a.m. and Wisconsin at 1:15.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Taylor Schwarz swings at the ball during Florida’s 4-2 victory against Mississippi State on April 6, 2013, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Schwarz drove in three runs and was hit by two pitches during Florida’s 10-3 win against USF on Thursday in Tampa. Schwarz drew a hit by pitch to start a 7-run rally in the fourth inning.
