ORLANDO, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Florida softball team cruised past DePaul, 11-3 (5 innings), late Friday evening to end the first day of The Knights Classic at the UCF Softball Complex. UF cranked out a season-high 15 hits in the run-rule victory.
The Gators (13-0) had five players turn in multi-hit performances in the effort over the Blue Demons (5-5) with senior Cheyenne Lindsey, redshirt junior Skylar Wallace, sophomore Katie Kistler and freshmen Kendra Falby and Reagan Walsh picked up two hits each tonight.
The Orange & Blue scored one run each in the 1st and 2nd inning of play to take an early 2-0 lead over DePaul. Wallace drove in Hannah Adams on an RBI double in the 1st and Sam Roe pushed across Lindsey and the 2nd frame of play to extend the lead.
The Blue Demons stormed back to take the lead 3-2 in the top of the 3rd inning via a pair of hits and a rare defensive miscue by the Gators.
Florida didn’t trail long as the team scored in every inning of tonight’s game and used a big bottom of the 3rd inning to not only regain the lead, but pushed it out to a comfortable 9-3 margin. The seven runs in the frame are the most scored by UF in a single inning so far this season.
UF capped the scoring with a run in the 4th inning via a SAC fly from Wallace that scored Emily Wilkie and a game-ending RBI single from Walsh in the 5th inning that scored Wallace.
Graduate transfer Marissa Mesiemore got the start and pitched 2.1 innings, before being relieved by freshman Lexie Delbrey (5-0) who hurled 2.2 innings and picked up her fifth win of the season.
The Gators return to action Saturday, Feb. 26, at 6:30 p.m. against Oakland for day two of The Knights Classic.
Notables:
* Florida pounded out a season-high 15 hits in tonight’s win over the Blue Demons.
* It’s the seven game with 10 or more hits this season.
* It’s also the first time UF has produced 15 hits in a game since Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 16, 2020).
* The team’s 11 runs tonight make it the third time this season that they have scored 10 or more runs in a game.
* UF had five players notch multi-hit games tonight.
* The Gators scored seven runs in the 3rd inning against DePaul, which is the most runs scored in an inning this season.
* The Orange & Blue added two more bunt singles to the season tally tonight and now have 16 bunt singles.
* Skylar Wallace stole two bases tonight and is now 11-for-11 on the year and the Gators as a team are 33-for-36.
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