On a night Florida struggled to score runs, it leaned on what has been steady all season.
Its pitching staff.
Behind a combined one-hit shutout from Kelly Barnhill and Aleshia Ocasio, No. 1 Florida (53-4) narrowly defeated Ole Miss (39-20) by a score of 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
“I thought Kelly Barnhill did a nice job and pitched very well. She gave us a chance to win and Aleshia (Ocasio) did a great job in relief,” coach Tim Walton said in a release.
“Defensively, we were really sharp too. We were able to make all the plays necessary behind them to get the win tonight.”
Florida had plenty of chances to widen its lead but was frequently unable to cash in, stranding nine runners.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.
When the Gators badly needed a spark, a familiar face rose to the occasion.
Senior Kelsey Stewart, the NCAA’s active leader in hits (353), ripped a double to left-center and advanced to third on an errant throw.
A few batters later, she raced home on a passed ball by catcher Courtney Syrett to score the game’s lone run.
Ole Miss never recovered.
The Rebels couldn’t even muster a hit late in the game as Florida advanced to the semifinals.
But victory aside, Florida was surprisingly tested by a team in the bottom half of the conference standings.
“We’ve been tested in so many different ways, settings and directions. It’s good to be tested in a situation where you lose and you’re done,” coach Walton said.
“Although, we need to come in with a tough mindset, because our opponents have a mindset of coming after us and giving us their best shot. That’s one thing that we could do a better job of — we could bring a little bit more of a killer instinct and be ready to go right away.”
Florida didn’t play its best, and the Gators will need to improve in their next game.
“Playing in this tournament, the goal is to come out and play well, stay healthy and work hard,” Walton said.
“Overall, I thought we did that tonight.”
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and contact him on Twitter @brianlee_17
Kelly Barnhill pitches during UF's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Feb. 27, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
