In the top of the second inning, the No. 1 Florida softball team already owned a 4-0 lead over the UCF Knights with only one half inning of work completed.
The offense was already working fluidly, sending cheers through the home crowd at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
With a Knight at the plate, the batter popped a ball high in the air and a fair amount behind home plate.
Catcher Janell Wheaton tracked the ball down and slid forward to make a wide receiver-esque grab and secure a highlight-reel second out for the Gators.
“I knew I had to dive,” Wheaton said after the game. “It kinda hurt my back a little bit, but it was a cool catch.”
While the offense secured a large lead, it was the defense that kept a feisty UCF team at bay, as the Gators blew past them for a 9-1 victory.
Three Florida (41-3) batters had multi-hit performances and the team totaled 12 hits over the course of the game as the team got in offensive grooves throughout the five innings played.
Junior first baseman Kayli Kvistad earned a team-high three RBIs on the night, and the Knights (29-14) had no way to stop the number one team in the nation from bringing runners across home plate.
After scoring the first four runs on four different plays in the initial inning, Kvistad returned in the second with an intent to score.
The junior hit a line drive directly above the right field line, bringing home Nicole DeWitt and Amanda Lorenz and extending the lead out to six runs early.
“Just being able to get things going first,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “Just being able to be aggressive and score runs… I thought overall, our offensive presence was good.”
UCF’s only response came in the top of the fourth inning, when center fielder Megan Greenwell bunted a ball and beat the throw to first. She spent the rest of the inning working her way home while her teammates ground out and flew out to push her along.
That would make the score 6-1. Florida would tack on three more runs in the sixth inning to end the Knights night early.
Overall, the defensive performance on display for Florida was sharp all-around.
“We have so many players that can play wherever coach needs us,” DeWitt said. “Alex [Aleshia Ocasio] plays short, second, center field, wherever you need her. She’d probably catch if you asked her to.”
Ocasio found herself at the mound Wednesday night, and hadn’t started a game since April 5.
She struck out five and walked none as she completed five innings before senior Delanie Gourley finished the game off in the sixth.
The Gators hope that strong defense extends into their final weekend home matchup SEC rival Ole Miss. Florida begins its series with the Rebels April 21 at 6 p.m.
Contact Skyler Lebron at slebron@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @SkylerLebron.
Janell Wheaton notched a walk-off walk to seal the game for the Gators early Friday morning.
