Natalie Lugo gazed toward the sky as the softball sailed over her head and past her back-tracking center fielder, Alex Voss.
One of the storylines for the UF softball team in its SEC opening-weekend series was if pitching or offense would prevail.
Kelly Barnhill stood in the circle then delivered the 3-2 pitch.
Three runs.
Kelly Barnhill charged toward home plate.
The No. 3 Gators have been waiting nearly nine months for this.
Outfielder Amanda Lorenz was frustrated a week ago. The Florida offense was struggling, and she wasn’t doing much better. Coach Tim Walton pulled her aside for a brief drill.
Alex Voss couldn’t help but smile as she rounded third. The senior center fielder and team captain beamed once she saw her teammates stationed around home plate to greet her after her home run. Once she touched home, she was swarmed.
Friday night saw the first two games of the six-game Bubly Invitational for Florida’s softball team. Florida swept the doubleheader with a 7-0 victory against Illinois State and a 4-0 win over Florida A&M. Here’s how it happened:
There’s no better way for a softball player to vault her team toward victory than hitting a home run in the first at-bat of the game.
JACKSONVILLE - Members of the sold-out crowd at the Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex barely had time to settle into their seats.
The pitcher is the most scrutinized player in softball.
First baseman Jordan Matthews measured up a 2-2 offering from Central Michigan pitcher Cloe Mallory and made explosive contact. The softball soared through the desert air and landed over the red fence.
The Gators softball team (10-0) continued its hot start to the season with a combined 25 runs in its two run-rule wins at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Arizona. Florida scored runs in all 10 innings it played. Here’s how it happened:
The Florida Gators never defeated Arizona State in Tempa, Arizona. They were tasked with taking down the 14th-ranked hosts in the second leg of a double-header at the Littlewood Classic on Friday.
The Gators softball team (6-0) heads out to Tempe, Arizona, to partake in five games at the Littlewood Classic following two mid-week games against Team Japan and North Florida. Here are three things to know about Florida’s start to the season:
The Gators’ win over North Florida wasn’t quite the way they drew it up.
It wasn’t about the score as much as it was about the occasion.
TAMPA — Jordan Matthews watched with anticipation as two pitches hit the catcher’s mitt.
TAMPA -- The Gators walked into USF Softball Stadium knowing that Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 19 Michigan and No. 7 Arizona was going to be their toughest test at the USF Opening Weekend Invitational.
Solutions by The State News
