One of the storylines for the UF softball team in its SEC opening-weekend series was if pitching or offense would prevail.
No. 4 Florida entered leading the SEC in earned-run average (1.29), while No. 7 Tennessee held the conference lead in batting average (.374).
The Volunteers’ potent offense won out on Friday night. A three-home run fourth inning powered the visitors to a 9-1 run-rule victory at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
It seemed the Gators’ pitching was superior to start the contest. Two-time All-American Kelly Barnhill (12-2) hurled seven strikeouts and allowed no hits through three innings. But she lost the no hitter and shut out simultaneously just six pitches into the fourth.
UF coach Tim Walton said Barnhill wasn’t getting enough height on her rise ball.
“Very rarely does Kelly Barnhill have games like that,” he said. “Even the first time through the lineup there was pitches that... looked like they weren’t jumping a lot.”
UT’s Kaili Phillips faced a 2-2 count when she hammered a solo home run to lead off the top of the frame, tying the game at 1-1. Three batters later, Ally Shipman belted a two-run bomb to left-center field. Cailin Hannon joined the home run party with a two-run shot of her own shortly after.
Tennessee (17-2) ended the inning with five runs on five hits.
Freshman right hander Danni Farley began the fifth inning in the circle for Florida (21-3), but she struggled as well. Phillips drilled a two-run home run after an Amanda Ayala single to start the inning. Hannon knocked a two-RBI single just past the outstretched glove of Jordan Matthews at first base to put the game into run-rule territory. She led the Volunteers offensively with four RBIs.
UF pitcher Natalie Lugo will start Saturday’s 1 p.m. game, Walton said.
The Gators’ only run came in the bottom of the first.
UT’s freshman starter Ashley Rogers plunked Hannah Adams and walked Amanda Lorenz in two of the first three plate appearances. Coach Karen Weekly pulled Rogers in favor of senior Matty Moss (5-1) after just three batters.
Moss walked Matthews for the first run of the contest. It was only the third walk she had given up all season in 43.1 innings of work.
“I thought the approach (at the plate) was good, bats looked good,” Walton said. I felt like Moss did a good job… It looked like she started mixing her pitch in the middle speed a little bit more as the game went on.”
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Pitcher Kelly Barnhill allowed five hits, five runs and walked one batter through four innings on Friday. The Gators fell 9-1 to Tennessee.
