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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Gators win SEC opener, Barnhill throws another no-hitter

<p>Pitcher Kelly Barnhill tossed her second no-hitter of the season Friday afternoon against Kentucky. </p>

Pitcher Kelly Barnhill tossed her second no-hitter of the season Friday afternoon against Kentucky. 

After a one-two-three top of the first inning, Florida softball pitcher Kelly Barnhill (10-0) took off her signature black facemask and greeted her teammates with a beaming ear-to-ear smile.

It was as if she knew what the rest of the game had in store, as the junior threw a no-hitter in her second consecutive outing and led No. 2 Florida to a 6-0 victory over Kentucky in its SEC opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Friday night.

Despite the Gators (20-1) scoring in their previous 11 leadoff innings, even Barnhill probably couldn’t have predicted the amount of cushion she’d get against the No. 23 Wildcats (15-4).

UF scored all of its runs in the bottom of the first, initially facing off with UK ace Erin Rethlake.

Entering the contest ranked fourth in the nation in on-base percentage (.451) and second in walks (109), Florida reached on bases on balls in three of its first four at-bats, including a leadoff walk by second baseman Hannah Adams.

After a four-pitch walk to freshman Jordan Matthews scored the game’s first run, Rethlake was pulled for sophomore Autumn Humes, a transfer who pitched a no-hitter in her first career start against North Dakota State on Feb. 17.  

However, Humes couldn’t stop the bleeding. The first batter she faced, catcher Janell Wheaton, pumped an RBI single into right field to score Adams and make it 2-0.

Designated player Jordan Roberts followed Wheaton with a bases-loaded single of her own, scoring first baseman Kayli Kvistad and Matthews and doubling UF’s lead.

After advancing to third and second on a Sophia Reynoso ground out, Wheaton and Roberts scored when centerfielder Alex Voss reached on a throwing error by UK third baseman Abbey Cheek.

Despite excellent work from Humes over the remainder of the contest, who retired eight of her next 10 batters after finishing first and got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats couldn’t claw their way back due to the dominance of Barnhill.

The UF ace allowed only one base runner all night and struck out 13 on her way to her 10th win of the season. Kentucky struggled to even put the ball into play, only generating two ground balls in seven innings of offense.

Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org.

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Pitcher Kelly Barnhill tossed her second no-hitter of the season Friday afternoon against Kentucky. 

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