Softball: Timely Hits Key as Florida Wins Top 5 Matchup Finale

Box Score

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – A pair of run-scoring hits with two outs and the ability to escape pitching jams early in the game led No. 1 Florida to a 3-0 win over the No. 5-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team in the series finale of a Top 5 matchup on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (41-3) scored all three runs via the two-out hits and Delanie Gourley began a 4-1/3 innings relief stint by working out of a bases loaded jam with Florida clinging to a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (32-6) saw five different players record a base hit including Kara Gremillion whose 1-for-2 performance gave her a hit in each game of the series.

Alex Stewart (17-3, 1.72 ERA) scattered six hits, struck out three UF batters and held the deficit at three runs during her final three innings in the circle. She retired the final seven batters she faced.

The win allowed the top-ranked Gators to complete the series sweep. UF opened the series with a 5-1, 14-1 (5 inn.) doubleheader sweep on Saturday.

No. 5 Louisiana closes out its current seven-game road trip and stretch of 15 out of 18 games away from Lamson Park on Wednesday, April 20 in Lake Charles at McNeese State (30-10). The 6 p.m. single game is rematch of a 5-4 (9 inn.) win by the Cajuns back on March 16 at Lamson Park.

Gremillion, Sara Corbello, Haley Hayden and Shellie Landry each finished with multiple hits in the series. Each posted a hit to combine for four of the Cajuns five base hits.

The Ragin’ Cajuns threatened in each of their first three at bats which led to an early exit for Florida starting pitcher Kelly Barnhill.

Barnhill escaped a pair of two-out walks in the first inning with a strikeout of DJ Sanders. In the second inning Corbello led off with a single and Gremillion walked, but Barnhill came away unharmed when she initiated a triple play on a bunt attempt by Kassidy Zeringue.

The Cajuns charged at Barnhill once again in the third as Landry doubled, Vincent singled and Craighton walked to load the bases. She was lifted in favor of Gourley who secured the final out.

Florida, which grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out, two-run double by Aubree Munro, added an insurance run for Gourley’s relief run with a two-out RBI single from Nicole DeWitt in the bottom of the third.

The remainder of the contest became a pitcher’s duel between Stewart and Gourley. There were a combined four 1-2-3 frames between the two hurlers.

The Ragin’ Cajuns picked up base runners in the fifth and seventh on singles by Hayden and Gremillion, respectively, but Gourley turned to the strikeout to keep the momentum with the hosts.

DIAMOND NOTES: Florida trimmed the Ragin’ Cajuns lead in the all-time series to 4-3…The series marked the first games contested at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville…Kara Gremillion finished 4-for-7 in the series, tops in hits among the Ragin’ Cajuns roster…Gremillion is now 7-for-18 (.389) vs. ranked teams in her collegiate debut season…Taylor Terrio started in right field for the fourth straight game in place of Kassidy Zeringue (ankle injury at Georgia State)…Alex Stewart held a ranked foe to three earned runs or less for the sixth time in as many starts…Stewart has yielded 33 earned runs over 134 innings and has limited foes to three earned runs or less in 21 of 22 games started…Sara Corbello picked up her 25th hit of the season, equaling the second-highest total of her career set as a sophomore (2014)…The three runs allowed marked the 35th time in 38 games that the Cajuns pitching staff surrendered five runs or fewer (29th time of three runs or fewer)…Louisiana’s current three-game losing streak is the longest since falling in all three games of a series at then-No. 2 Oregon last April.

#GeauxCajuns