Florida State's Alex Powers cut off the ball and watched. There was no point in throwing home.
UF's Kayli Kvistad had just smacked a hit with two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring Justine McLean and giving the No. 3 Gators a walk-off 1-0 win over the No. 1 Seminoles on Tuesday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
"We were saying, ‘Just hit a little flare,'” McLean said after the win. “And sure enough, Kayli saves the game once again.”
The game-winning play aside, Wednesday night’s battle between the No. 1 and No. 3 softball teams in the nation didn’t generate much offense.
It was a test of elite pitchers and stout defenses as the Gators attempted to knock out a Florida State team that leads the nation in batting average.
Senior Delanie Gourley got the start for Florida (38-2) and made the most of her five innings in the circle.
Gourley allowed four hits but gave up no runs and didn’t walk anyone.
Florida State showcased a pitching ace of its own in redshirt senior Jessica Burroughs, who made hitting tough for the Gators.
In her 6 and 1/3 innings in the circle, Burroughs gave up just two hits, putting the Gators’ offense in a funk.
Both teams made changes in the circle later on in the game as the coaches prepared for extra innings in a scoreless contest.
Florida turned to sophomore Kelly Barnhill, who picked up where Gourley left off by striking out three of the six batters she faced.
Florida State (38-2-1) didn’t see the same success when it pulled its own starting pitcher for redshirt sophomore Meghan King.
King came into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out.
Florida’s next batter, McLean, started things off by using her speed to notch her first bunt single on the year.
Three batters later, Kvistad lined a single into right field, giving the senior speedster just enough time to find home plate.
“I did watch (McLean) round third, watched her come in, just to make sure,” Kvistad said. “I made sure I touched the base and don’t get too excited.”
The No. 1 Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 29 games while the two teams played in front of a crowd of 2,574, breaking a stadium record that was set last Friday in Florida’s series with Georgia.
“It was crazy,” DeWitt said of the environment. “It’s always cool seeing more and more fans come, and I think that it’s just amazing that so many people are starting to support our sport.”
Follow Skyler Lebron on Twitter at @SkylerLebron, or contact him at slebron@alligator.org.
First baseman Kayli Kvistad drove in a pair of runs in Florida's 19-3 win over Florida A&M on Wednesday.
