Florida Gators

Highlights | Recap

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida softball recorded the program's second perfect game of the season in an 18-0 victory over Hampton Friday, March 30, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators game against Jacksonville was halted with one out in the top of the fifth inning tied 1-1.

The Gators (29-4) and Dolphins will resume play tomorrow after the contest between Florida and Hampton (13-15). UF and JU will follow the resumption of the halted game with regularly scheduled game.

Florida vs. Hampton | W, 18-0
Aleshia Ocasio (13-2) combined with Natalie Lugo to throw only the second combined perfect game in Florida history. The duo needed just 59 pitches and tallied seven strikeouts in the effort.

Kayli Kvistad opened the scoring for the Gators against the Lady Pirates with her three-run home run in the bottom of the first. Amanda Lorenz led off the inning with a single to right center field and Nicole DeWitt followed up with a walk to put runners on first and second.

Florida pushed across three more runs when Jaimie Hoover crushed her second home run of the season. The three-run blast scored Ocasio and Jordan Roberts who both reached on singles with two outs.

The Gators posted their third three-run home run of the inning when DeWitt tallied her 8^th homer of the season. Sophia Reynoso singled to right field and Lorenz drew a four-pitch walk to set the table for DeWitt.

Adams recorded the second home run of her career in the bottom of the second. The two-run home run scored Ocasio who reached with a double to right center field and extended the Florida lead out to 11-0.

Jordan Matthews tallied the Gators fifth home run of the game in the bottom of the third with a three-run shot to right field. Florida went on to reload the bases in the inning for pinch hitter Theresa Swertfager. Swertfager singled to right field to score Lily Mann and extend the lead out to 15-0.

The Gators closed out the scoring against Jacksonville with RBIs Mann, Katie Chronister and Danielle Romanello. The frame started with back-to-back-to-back walks by Janell Wheaton, Josie Page and Kelly Barnhill. Mann and Chronister notched RBI groundouts while Romanello registered a single to plate the final run of the game.

Florida vs. Jacksonville | Halted tied 1-1 in fifth inning
Jacksonville jumped on the scoreboard first with a solo home run in the third inning. Serena Quinata sent the 3-2 pitch from starter Kelly Barnhill over the wall in left field for a 1-0 lead.

The Gators responded in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ocasio posted her second base hit of the game to get on base and was advanced into scoring position after Adams grounded out to third base.

Wheaton fell behind 0-2 in the count to Jacksonville's Alyssa Bilodeau before turning on the next pitch for an RBI single to left field that tied the score to 1-1.

The game was halted at 1:29 p.m. due to significant rainfall in the top of the fifth inning with one out.

Walton's Words:
On the combined perfect game against Hampton…
"I thought Aleshia (Ocasio) and Natalie (Lugo) were featuring a pretty good rise ball and off speed pitch today. They really set the tone for us. When you don't give up any base runners in a game that means you had some good defensive plays, but I thought overall the difference was what those two did in the circle."


Notable Notes:

• The Gators notched their eighth no-hitter and second perfect game of the season in the win against Hampton.
  • Aleshia Ocasio and Natalie Lugo combined for only the program's second combined perfect game. It's the first time either have been involved in a perfect game.
    • Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger and Alyssa Bache combined for a perfect game against Presbyterian March 3, 2013.
    • This is the sixth overall perfect game thrown at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
• All 19 players on the UF roster received playing time in the game against Hampton.
• Florida scored in the first inning against Hampton, which is the 24^th time this season the Gators have scored in the first.
  • The team holds a record of 23-1 when scoring first this season.
• With nine runs scored in the first and four in the third against Hampton, Florida has now scored four or more runs in an inning 24 times this season.
• Nicole DeWitt set a new season-high for home runs after she crushed her eighth of the season against Hampton.
  • Her previous season-high was seven in 2016.

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