UF outfielder Jade Caraway tracked a high, fly ball to the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. She leaped up and stretched her glove over the wall to attempt a home-run rob.
She was not successful. The softball fell just out of her reach and smacked into the bare hands of an awaiting fan. The Tigers had their third home run of the night and took a 5-0 lead.
No. 9 LSU defended its home field and tied the series with No. 7 Florida after an 8-0 run-rule victory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The series will be decided at Tiger Park on Monday at 7 p.m.
The Gators’ 20 home runs allowed are the second-most in the SEC, and 11 of those have come in their five conference games.
UF starting pitcher Natalie Lugo gave up the first long ball of the day in the bottom of the second inning. She left a pitch up in the strike zone to second baseman Shemiah Sanchez, who belted the offering over the left-field wall for a two-run home run.
Lugo left the contest after allowing two earned runs in two innings of work, and freshman Elizabeth Hightower replaced her.
Florida (24-5, 2-3 SEC) featured four pitchers on the night.
Hightower faced one batter in the third before giving up her first home run of the season, a solo shot by third baseman Amanda Sanchez. She also gave up the two-run homer in the fifth to designated player Shelbi Sunseri.
Junior Katie Chronister came in to throw the sixth inning. She failed to get an out and allowed an RBI single to pinch hitter Georgia Clark and a bases-loaded walk to Amanda Sanchez. UF coach Tim Walton elected to pitch freshman Danni Farley with the bases loaded and a 7-0 deficit.
LSU (23-6, 3-2 SEC) plated its final run on a wild pitch by Farley.
The Gators couldn’t manufacture runs despite getting the leadoff batter on base in five of six offensive frames. They went 1 for 17 with runners on base and 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
Catcher Jordan Roberts left runners on second and third base in the first and third innings. She struck out and flied out in the respective innings.
A base-running error by shortstop Sophia Reynoso squandered a scoring opportunity with one out in the top of the fourth. She was the lead runner with Jaime Hoover on first when Jade Caraway lined a hit past LSU shortstop Amber Serrett.
Reynoso expected the infielder would make a play and hesitated to run. Center fielder Aliyah Andrews gunned her out at third.
If Reynoso reached, first baseman Amanda Lorenz would’ve had the bases loaded and one out with designated player Kendyl Lindaman due up after her. Lorenz popped out to end the inning instead.
“We had runners on first and second and no outs twice,” Walton said in an interview with ESPN during the game. “We’ve got to produce in the middle of our lineup, and we haven’t.”
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Natalie Lugo gave up two earned runs in two innings of work in Florida's 8-0 run-rule loss to LSU. The Gators went through four pitchers in the loss.
