JACKSONVILLE – No. 4 Florida trounced Jacksonville 13-2 (5 innings) Tuesday evening at the Debbie and Fred Pruitt Softball Complex. The Orange & Blue's run-rule victory is the fourth-straight to begin the 2023 season.
The Gators' (4-0) offense scored in four of the five innings played against the Dolphins (3-2) and picked up three home runs from
Baylee Goddard,
Skylar Wallace and
Charla Echols.
The scoring opened up in the top of the 1
st inning when Goddard scored from third on a wild pitch thrown by JU starting pitcher Ashlee Harwood (2-1). Goddard, an Orange Park, Fla. native, reached base via hit-by-pitch, was moved to second by a walk drawn by Wallace and then to third by an additional walk issued to
Reagan Walsh.
Goddard broke open the game in the top of the 2
nd inning to give UF a 4-0 lead with a towering three-run home run over the left field fence. The longball scored
Sarah Longley and
Kendra Falby who each reached base via a walk and infield single respectively.
Florida extended the lead out to 7-0 in the top of the 3
rd inning thanks to a pair of home runs blasted by Wallace and Echols. Wallace drove in three with her laser line-drive homer just inside the right field foul pole that scored
Katie Kistler and Goddard, while Echols blistered the ball with a high-arching shot down the right field line for her first home run of the year.
In the 4
th inning,
Sam Roe continued her solid play at the plate with a line drive single to left, which was followed by a double from
Avery Goelz and walk from pinch-hitter
Emily Wilkie loaded the bases with no outs. Pinch-hitter
Olivia Gigante plated Roe after she was hit by the pitch, Falby pushed across Goelz with a bases loaded walk and Goddard notched her fourth RBI of the night after she was hit by the JU pitcher's offering.
The scoring in the 4
th inning concluded with an RBI fielder's choice by Wallace and a SAC fly by Walsh that extended the lead out to 13-0.
Jacksonville spoiled Florida starting pitcher
Elizabeth Hightower's perfect game in the bottom of the 4
th inning when the Dolphins picked up a two-out single down the left field line. Hightower finished the frame with a foul out to Echols at third for her second one-hit performance in as many starts. She also didn't allow a walk and struck out five Dolphins through the 4 innings of work.
The Dolphins however was able to also breakup the shutout in last inning of play and close down the Gators lead to 13-2. Graduate transfer
Samantha Bender entered the game in the bottom of the 5
th inning and JU capitalized on a series of walks, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch to earn the pair of runs.
Overall, the duo combined for the program's second one-hitter of the season and the first combined one-hitter.
The Gators and the Dolphins are set for a rematch tomorrow at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at 6 p.m. in what will be the Orange & Blue's 2023 home opener. The game will be streamed live via SEC Network+ and the first 200 fans at the game will receive a Florida softball opening day t-shirt.
Notables:
- Florida improved to 26-0 over Jacksonville with tonight's win.
- This season the Gators have opened up the season with four run-rule victories and have outscored opponents 54-4 over 20 innings of play.
- It's the second time in program history that UF has opened the season with four run-rule victories, but it's the first time in program history that the program has finished all four opening games in five innings.
- In 2016, the Gators opened the season with four run-rule victories, but that squad's third game resulted in a 8-0 victory over Virginia Tech in six innings.
- Elizabeth Hightower and Samantha Bender combined for the program's second one-hitter of the season. It's also the Gators all-time 29th combined one-hitter.
- The Gators hit three home runs for the second-consecutive game this season behind Goddard, Wallace and Echols.
- It's the first time since the 2021 season the Gators posted multiple games with at least three home runs.
- It's also the first time since 2018 that Florida has hit three home runs in back-to-back games.
- UF hit a trio of home runs against Georgia and UCLA in back-to-back games at the Women's College World Series.
- Goddard's four-RBI night was a career-high for the Orange Park, Fla. native.
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