Few would characterize Florida’s last meeting with Florida State, a 1-0 UF win, as an offensive battle.
It was a pitching duel.
Behind a combined 16 strikeouts from then-junior Delanie Gourley, then-sophomore Aleshia Ocasio and then-freshman Kelly Barnhill, along with 12 strikeouts from the Seminoles, the game was pushed into extra innings.
Twelve, to be exact.
Both teams mustered four hits in the game, but the Gators secured the win off a solo home run down the right field line by Ocasio.
In that game, Barnhill had six strikeouts of her own.
And in Florida’s most recent series against the Georgia Bulldogs, Barnhill put on a show, striking out 21 batters over two games.
Her pitching effort, combined with Gourley’s (who had nine strikeouts in Sunday’s victory), was the decisive factor in the SEC sweep. The win on Monday evening also marked Florida’s sixth straight SEC win.
“We weren’t at our best offensively,” UF coach Tim Walton said. “But I thought we were really good pitching-wise.”
Florida has been more than good this year in the circle. UF’s pitching staff boasts the lowest ERA in the country at 0.72.
And Barnhill has an ERA of 0.22 — the lowest in the NCAA. Gourley and Ocasio round out the ninth and 10th-lowest ERAs, at 0.83 and 0.84, respectively.
But this pitching staff will be facing a Seminoles team that has the nation’s top batting average at .367.
With 10 Seminoles hitting .300 or higher, it could be a challenge for the Florida pitchers to keep them off the bases.
“We play more Saturday, Sunday, Monday series than any team in the league,” Walton said. “And now to have to have a short turnaround and play Florida State after an off day is a difficult thing.”
But no matter who Florida is playing, it seems the team doesn’t let games slip too far away.
Take Monday night for example. When No. 19 Georgia threatened with a player on second in the third inning, senior Justine McLean threw home from the outfield in time to stop a runner from scoring. Florida immediately responded with a home run to push itself ahead.
And then there’s the March 25 game against then-No. 4 Auburn. The Gators were down 3-2 heading into the final inning, but a single from junior Nicole DeWitt brought home the game’s winning runs in front of a packed crowd.
It’s a crowd that is sure to be in attendance tonight, as No. 1 Florida State faces No. 3 Florida (37-2, 13-1 SEC). It is their last home game before the Gators go on the road against Kentucky. The first pitch is set for 7 p.m.
“I starred this week as probably one of the toughest weeks of our season,” Walton said.
Contact Cassie Amundson at camundson@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter @camundson_.
UF pitcher Kelly Barnhill winds up during Florida's 5-0 win against Georgia on April 8, 2017, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
