Kelly Barnhill stood in the circle then delivered the 3-2 pitch.
The two-time All-American pitcher faced Taryn Atlee, Washington’s leader in batting average, with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Gators clung to a 1-0 lead.
Her offering shot over the plate then smacked into Kendyl Lindaman’s catcher’s mitt. Strike three.
Barnhill struck out the side in the eighth inning, and she got Atlee looking to seal the 1-0 win for Florida over the No. 5 Huskies at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California. The victory was UF’s first over a top-five opponent in 2019, and it came just hours after its 4-0 defeat to UCLA.
Bending to the Bruins, again
The Gators were shut out for the first time this season in their loss to UCLA.
Their offensive struggles from Wednesday’s defeat to the Bruins were magnified in Friday’s contest, as they failed to get a hit with a runner on base (0 for 11).
UCLA pitcher and reigning Honda Sport Award winner Rachel Garcia dominated. She hurled a complete game and allowed just two hits and four free passes to go along with 10 strikeouts.
Florida’s offensive leader, Amanda Lorenz, failed to reach base and went 0 for 3 against Garcia. Shortstop Sophia Reynoso (1 for 3) and designated player Kendyl Lindaman (1 for 2) were the only Gators to hit safely.
A strong UF defense kept the game close until the fifth inning, when UCLA broke out for a four-run frame.
Florida pitchers Natalie Lugo and Katie Chronister combined for only one strikeout. Their defensive support fielded 12 fly outs and eight ground outs.
Lugo pitched out of a tight situation in the top of the second. She walked two batters after relinquishing a leadoff single to Taylor Pack and loaded the bases with one out. Adams threw out Pack at home to make it two, and Briana Perez lined out to Reynoso to end the inning.
Lugo faced another bases-loaded jam in the fifth, this time with no outs. She allowed three consecutive hits -- a two-RBI single to Bubba Nickles, an RBI double to Aaliyah Jordan and an RBI single to Garcia -- and gave up all four runs before being pulled in favor of Chronister. Lugo suffered her first loss of the season and dropped to 6-1.
Chronister closed out the fifth without allowing another run despite inheriting runners on second and third, and she didn’t allow a hit in three innings. Chronister’s only blemishes were a hit-by-pitch and a throwing error on a ground ball that hopped right back to her.
Outlasting the Huskies
Barnhill starred in a matchup that was dominated by pitching.
The senior allowed just one hit and two walks in the complete-game shutout, and she struck out 10 of the 28 batters she faced.
Before Barnhill (12-1) hurled the Gators to victory, they needed to muster a run.
Huskies pitcher Taran Alvelo struck out 15 hitters and gave up only four hits, but she loaded the bases in the top of the eighth.
Extra innings at the invitational are played with international rules, which places a runner on second to start each half inning. Washington intentionally walked Amanda Lorenz with one out, then Lindaman knocked a single to fill the diamond.
UF coach Tim Walton called upon freshman Brittany Allen to pinch hit for senior Alex Voss, and she showed tremendous discipline at the plate. Allen layed off a couple of close pitches from Alvelo and walked the winning run home.
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Kelly Barnhill allowed just one hit and two walks, while striking out 10 batters in the Gators 1-0 victory over Washington.
