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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kicking the Bucket: Gators fall to FSU, lose third-straight

<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 State left fielder Makinzy Herzog powered a 1-0 pitch from UF pitcher Kelly Barnhill with one out in the fourth inning.

 

The softball appeared destined for the right-center gap but curled toward the right-field wall. The ball began to die as the wind blew against it.

Gators right fielder Jaimie Hoover tracked the ball to the wall then watched as it dipped behind the dark green barrier and struck a railing just behind the wall.

“I was surprised how close it was,” Barnhill said about the solo home run. “It felt a little harder going off.”

The No. 3 Seminoles extended their lead by one run with Herzog’s home run and defeated No. 8 Florida on its home field 2-0 Wednesday night. The game’s attendance (2403) was the eighth-largest in the history of Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Barnhill allowed only four hits and struck out six, limiting an FSU team that entered batting .368 to just a .167 average on the night. However, she gave the Seminoles (36-3) opportunities from four walks and picked up her fifth loss of the season (19-5).

“To hold a team like that to four hits… with your second and third best pitch, I think that’s a pretty good showing,” coach Tim Walton said of Barnhill. “Her rise ball was nonexistent… They just weren’t really jumping that well.”

Barnhill walked the game’s leadoff batter, Cali Harrod, on four pitches. Harrod stole second, advanced to third on a single by Sydney Sherrill and scored the night’s first run on a sacrifice fly by clean-up hitter Elizabeth Mason.

UF’s two-time All-American also walked three batters to load the bases in the second but drew a foul pop out to end the inning.

FSU pitcher Meghan King didn’t give up a walk. She improved to 19-1, gave up six hits and struck out eight. She limited the Gators (29-9) to only two runners in scoring position.

It’s the seventh loss in which Florida scored one run or less.

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“I kicked a bucket tonight for the first time this season,” Walton said. “In the dugout, it was a good kick too.”

The first chance came in the first inning on back-to-back singles by left fielder/first baseman Amanda Lorenz and designated player Kendyl Lindaman. Lorenz advanced to third on Lindaman’s ground ball up the middle, but catcher Jordan Roberts struck out swinging on the next at-bat to end the threat.

Florida didn’t get another scoring chance until the sixth when Lindaman grooved another grounder up the middle and past FSU center fielder Dani Morgan. Roberts followed and struck out swinging again, and Hoover ended the inning with an infield pop up.

“We’ve got good count and can’t hit,” Walton said. “If you can’t hit with good count, it’s going to be a short season for you.”

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

Kelly Barnhill allowed four hits, struck out six batters and walked four in the Gators' 2-0 loss to FSU on Wednesday night.

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