Amanda Lorenz jogged to first base like she expected to get out.
The UF first baseman skied a fly ball into right field in the bottom of the first for a near-certain out. Bethune-Cookman’s Quianah Mitchell camped under the descending softball, stuck out her dark brown glove and helplessly watched as it clipped off the side of her mitt.
Lorenz reached on the error and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Danielle Romanello.
It was one of eight unearned runs scored by the No. 6 Gators, as they soundly defeated BCU 15-0 on a chilly spring evening at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Their pitching combined to throw a one-hitter through five innings of run-rule softball.
UF scored 15 runs on 11 hits, and every starting offensive player scored a run. It benefitted from six errors by the Wildcats (12-23).
“I think there were only three change ups thrown the whole day,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “I think that has something to do with fouling off, fouling off, fouling off and then finally getting a good pitch to hit.”
The Gators (28-6) put up three runs in the opening frame.
Center fielder Jade Caraway led off the game with a single to the pitcher. Second baseman Hannah Adams laid down a bunt on the next at-bat. A bad throw by Bethune-Cookman catcher Sasha Killings allowed Caraway to take third, then she stole home while the BCU defense was distracted.
Florida also scored on sacrifice flies by catcher/designated player Jordan Roberts and Romanello.
UF put up 10 in the second.
Lorenz thumped a double off the wall in right field to score the inning’s first two runs.
Roberts added a two-RBI double to right field two batters later to make it 7-0.
The Gators scored four runs on four straight plate appearances later in the inning. They drew two bases-loaded walks, scored on a ground out by Caraway and got an RBI double by Adams that hit off the knee of BCU second baseman Alexis Bermudez.
Pinch hitter Lily Mann pummelled a hard-hit ground ball up the middle in the third for the last runs of the contest. Her two-RBI single plated pinch hitters Alex Voss and Cheyenne Lindsey.
Two-time All-American Kelly Barnhill pitched the opening three innings for Florida and earned the win. She didn’t allow a hit, struck out four and gave up one walk as well as hit a batter.
Sophomore Natalie Lugo pitched a hitless fourth inning, and freshman Elizabeth Hightower struck out the first two hitters of the fifth.
Junior Katie Chronister gave up a single through the left side to BCU pinch hitter Kaira Cabato but struck out the last two batters (one reached on a wild pitch) to finish the game.
“I didn’t even like the matchup that Katie Chronister had to be honest,” Walton said.
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
UF first baseman Amanda Lorenz went 1 for 3 with two RBIs in the Gators 15-0 win over Bethune-Cookman.
