No. 8 Florida Splits Doubleheader with Missouri to Open SEC Action
The Gators and the Tigers are set to play the series finale Sunday, March 19, at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Florida softball team opened Southeastern Conference play with a doubleheader split Friday against Missouri at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. UF fell 3-7 in the first game of the day, but rebounded to even the series with a 4-3 win in game two.
The Gators (21-5, 1-1 SEC) found immediately found themselves in a battle with the Tigers (19-10, 1-4 SEC) in game one of the series. Missouri opened the game in the top of the 1st inning with a single from Jenna Laird, which was promptly followed by a two-run home run by Alex Honnold to give UM a 2-0 lead.
Skylar Wallace and the Orange & Blue answered back in the bottom of the 3rd inning to tie the game, 2-2, when she blasted her team-leading seventh home run of the year. Kendra Falby set the table for Wallace during the previous at-bat with a single through the left side.
Right-handed sophomore Lexie Delbrey (4-2) held the Tigers offense scoreless in the 4th inning, but MU broke the 2-2 tie in the 5th inning with a three-run home run by Honnold to go ahead 5-2. Missouri went on to tack on two more runs via a solo home run in the 6th inning and a SAC fly to right center in the 7th inning off reliever Samantha Bender.
In game two of the doubleheader, Missouri struck for an unearned run in the top of the 1st inning, but Florida regrouped and rebounded to tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning. With the bases loaded, Egan sent a shot out to second base which was then thrown away to score Kendra Falby from third base.
Sophomore Regan Walsh quickly broke the 1-1 tie and gave the Gators a 3-1 lead in the following at-bat when she ripped a two-RBI single to center field off Tigers starter Laurin Krings (7-5).
The Falby and Wallace tandem put up another run for the Orange & Blue in the bottom of the 4th inning to go up 4-1. Falby singled down the left field line with two outs and Wallace produced her fifth triple of the year to score the Falby from first base.
Missouri responded in the top of the 5th inning to close down the Florida lead to 4-3 via a Honnold RBI single through the left side and a SAC fly by Julia Crenshaw.
Right-hander Elizabeth Hightower (10-2) earned the win in the circle and left-hander Rylee Trlicek secured her first save of the season after she closed out the final three innings of play.
Defensively, the Gators tied the program’s single-game record with three double plays in game two’s victory.
The Gators and the Tigers are set to close out the series Sunday, March 19, at 1 p.m. (ET) on SEC Network+.
Notables:
* Florida tied the program’s single-game record for double plays in game two.
* The feat has only been achieved two other times:
* Feb. 28, 2020 – vs. Louisiana
* March 20, 2005 – at Arkansas
* Charla Echols extended her hit-streak out to 11 games going 1-for-3 in game one and 1-for-4 in game two.
* The Newnan, Ga. native has also reached base safely in the last 13 games.
* Skylar Wallace notched home run number seven in game one and triple number five in game two.
* Wallace has reached base safely in her last 22 games played and is on a four-game hit-streak.
* The Woodstock, Ga. native also stole her 13th and 14th bases of the season.
* In game two, Kendra Falby went 2-for-4 with two runs scored for her team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the year.
* The Odessa, Fla. native is also on a five-game hit-streak.
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