At times this season, the Gators’ offense has sputtered while trying to match the prowess of its pitching and defense.
Florida has consistently held opponents to few runs, but has not always scored enough to capitalize.
That changed this weekend.
Powered by an early two-run home run by Amanda Lorenz and a solo shot from Kayli Kvistad in the seventh inning, No. 2 Florida (38-3, 12-3 Southeastern Conference) finalized its sweep of Mississippi (28-13, 4-8 SEC) with a 4-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Oxford.
UF scored 18 runs in three games against Ole Miss, the team’s highest output since last month’s series against Auburn.
"It was nice to see the middle of our lineup make some adjustments and do a good job for us today, and this whole weekend," coach Tim Walton said in a release.
"They both delivered in the clutch this weekend."
The trio of Lorenz, Kvistad and catcher Aubree Munro went a combined 14-for-26 — a .538 average — slugged six home runs and drove in 11 in the series.
To complement their recent offensive surge, the Gators’ pitching was predictably stifling. The unit allowed only three runs in the series, and the first earned run didn’t come until the fifth inning of the final game.
Kelly Barnhill started the game for Florida and was effectively wild, allowing one run on two hits while walking five and striking out nine over 4.1 innings.
"Kelly didn’t have her best stuff, but she had a ton of strikeouts and a lot of swing and misses," Walton said.
"Sometimes that’s going to be the case."
After getting into trouble in the fourth by walking the bases loaded, the freshman struck out a pair of hitters to preserve the lead.
She was then relieved in the fifth by sophomore Aleshia Ocasio.
Ocasio, though not overpowering like Barnhill, settled into the game nicely, with the only blemish on her performance coming from a solo home run allowed in the bottom of the seventh.
The sophomore righty struck out two over 2.2 innings and earned her fifth save.
With the sweep, Florida regained its place atop of the conference standings.
And after dropping its first series last weekend against Alabama, Florida has won four straight and has momentum as it prepares to face rival Florida State Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Gainesville.
"Overall, I thought we made some nice defensive plays," Walton said. "We were able to stay poised and make some nice plays all weekend.
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Kayli Kvistad follows through on a swing during Florida's doubleheader sweep against Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
