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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Kelly Barnhill pitched 2.2 innings, surrendered three hits, five runs and walked three in Florida's loss to Ole Miss.</p>

Kelly Barnhill pitched 2.2 innings, surrendered three hits, five runs and walked three in Florida's loss to Ole Miss.

Florida’s softball team walks into its home series against No. 14 Arkansas on a three-game losing streak after being shut out by rival No. 3 Florida State and having lost its first three SEC series of the season.

The No. 8 Gators (29-9, 3-6 SEC) have struggled offensively throughout the season, and that was on full display in front of a national audience against the Seminoles.

FSU starter Meghan King navigated through the Gators’ batting order with ease Wednesday night in a complete-game shutout where Florida managed just six hits and only two runners in scoring position.

Pitcher Kelly Barnhill staved off Florida State after a rocky first two innings and limited the third-best scoring offense in the nation to only two runs.

Florida still has some other concerns surrounding the team, such as who it can rely on in the circle other than Barnhill, but none are bigger than the team’s inability to consistently produce runs.

UF has scored more than five runs in an SEC game just once this season, and its offense ranks in the bottom half of the conference in batting average (.287, 12th), slugging percentage (.461, 10th), on-base percentage (.402, eighth) and runs scored (198, ninth).

“When you’ve got good count, you’ve got to go,” coach Tim Walton said after Wednesday’s loss. “Take chances, guess every once in a while, try to hit a home run, do things like that if that’s who you are.”

The good news for the Gators is that they’re facing a Razorbacks squad with some of the same problems.

Arkansas (26-11, 6-6 SEC) has struggled to produce runs, and it relies on its two-deep rotation of junior Autumn Storms and sophomore Mary Haff.

Arkansas’ rotation is seventh in the SEC in ERA and has allowed the fewest walks in the conference. Storms and Haff are in the top three in the SEC in both strikeouts and innings pitched. The two have struggled against SEC competition, though. Arkansas has allowed five or more runs six times against conference foes.

It has been an offensive nightmare for the Razorbacks this season. Arkansas has scored the second-fewest runs in the SEC, and only five hitters who have started at least 30 games hit above .300.

The Razorbacks are led offensively by sophomore Danielle Gibson and senior Ashley Diaz. Gibson leads the team in home runs with nine and has the highest batting average on the team (.365). Diaz and sophomore Hannah McEwen have the best on-base percentage (.429), and Diaz has slugged six home runs.

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Follow Brendan Farrell on Twitter @Bfarrell727 and contact him at bfarrell@alligator.org. 

Pitcher Kelyl Barnhill limited Florida State's the third-best scoring offense to only two runs on Wednesday.

 

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