It came down to the final competition.
Like he’d done all day, junior Alfredo Perez sent a powerful forehand over the net that his opponent could not handle. One last stretch, but it was out of reach.
All Jack Leftwich could do was watch as Georgia left fielder Keegan McGovern’s 3-run homer sailed over the scoreboard in right field.
It had been 1,101 days since UF last won an NCAA Tournament game, and early in its second-round game against Colorado at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, it appeared that drought would continue for another 360-some-odd days. But behind an eight-goal run and seven combined goals from the Pirreca sisters, Florida stymied the Buffaloes for a 13-9 victory.
When freshman Katie Kubicz’s final shot went just a little too wide, the Florida Gators NCAA Tournament run sailed away with it.
Execute.
UF’s Aleshia Ocasio stood in the circle as her teammates rushed to meet her.
As the ball left Blake Reese’s bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, there were only two people moving on the play.
The Florida Gators stepped onto a blazing court that registered up to 100 degrees and into their 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
It was throw number five of the men’s hammer throw final.
Wil Dalton knew the ball was deep enough to win the game as soon as it left the bat.
UF third baseman Nicole DeWitt embraced teammates Kayli Kvistad and Amanda Lorenz at home plate. She just launched a two-run home run into the stratosphere above the Mizzou Softball Stadium, sparking a three-run opening inning for the No. 4 Gators.
Only when senior Peggy Porter swung her racket a final time in her clinching victory did the Gators let up their relentless assault against their first opponent at the NCAA Tournament.
Crack!
Justin Watkins, incoming freshman and 4-star recruit of the UF football team, was arrested in Marion County, Florida, Wednesday and is being charged with a misdemeanor count of “trespassing upon grounds of a public school facility.”
The young and the old showed up today for the Florida women’s golf team, as the Gators finished in a tie for third out of the 18-team field to advance to the NCAA Championship.
Down 8-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night, the Gators needed a jolt of energy.
In round one of the NCAA Austin Regional, senior Taylor Tomlinson shot the second-worst score on her team. On Tuesday, in round two, she shot Florida’s highest score.
The Florida Gators football program signed 10 assistants to head coach Dan Mullen’s staff on Monday. UF will pay its assistants $4.74 million in 2018, and $5.44 in 2019.
After a top five finish at the SEC Championship, sophomore Marta Perez was slipped into the number one spot for the Florida Gators women’s golf team. Having a lot of momentum going into the NCAA Regional, expectations were high for her.
Solutions by The State News
