Florida and Kentucky will play for the series Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
LEXINGTON, KY. – The 16th-ranked Florida softball team fell in game two of the series Saturday afternoon, 7-6, against No. 23 Kentucky at John Cropp Stadium. With the series tied 1-1, the two teams will play in the series finale at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Gators (35-18, 11-12 SEC) and the Wildcats (29-19-1, 9-14 SEC) second contest of the series went down to the wire again as the Orange and Blue rallied from down 4-0 to tie the game 5-5 and eventually took the lead 6-5, before UK rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to tie the series.
In the top of the 1st inning, Kentucky took advantage of a leadoff single, a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch to plate the first run of the game and go up 1-0 over Florida. Pinch-hitter Lauren Borzilleri plated Kayla Kowalik via a two-out four-pitch walk offered by starting pitcher Lexie Delbrey.
Avery Goelz almost tied the game with a towering one-out fly ball to deep center field, but it was kept from going over the wall by UK center fielder Jenna Blanton.
The Wildcats went on to add to its lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning of play with a trio of unearned runs that stretched the lead out to 4-0. After a throwing error from the circle toward first base that allowed the first run of the frame to score, Kowalik drove in the second via a SAC fly and Erin Coffel singled up the middle to score the third.
The Gators bounced back in the top of the 4th inning and responded with a pair of runs that cut the Wildcats lead down to 4-2 thanks to Charla Echols’ 11th home run of the year. Skylar Wallace was issued a walk in the prior at-bat and Echols drove her home with a blast over the wall in left center field that set a new career-high for RBI for the Newnan, Ga. native.
Echols entered the series tied with her career-high for RBI in a season with 59 and the home run surpassed that mark to give her 61 on the year.
Kentucky responded with a run in the bottom of the 4th inning to push its lead out to 5-2, but Florida rallied in the 5th inning to tie the game 5-5. The Orange & Blue’s rally started with back-to-back singles by Katie Kistler and Avery Goelz that put runners on the corners with no outs.
Sophomore Kendra Falby stepped into the box and fought through a six-pitch at-bat and ripped her first triple of the season down the left field line to score both Kistler and Goelz. Wallace plated Falby in the next at-bat via an RBI groundout to shortstop that tied the game.
The Gators took the lead in the top of the 7th inning when Falby torched her second triple of the game with a one-out shot to center field. Wallace drove in the speedster Falby in the next at-bat via a SAC fly to right field to give UF a 6-5 lead.
The Wildcats bounced to steal the game with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning off reliever Elizabeth Hightower (15-11). A wild pitch and a SAC fly to right ended the game.
The two teams will play for the series Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
Notables:
* Charla Echols hit her 11th home run of the season and tallied two RBI in the game.
* Echols now has 61 RBI on the season, which is a new career-high that surpasses her previous mark of 59 that she set in 2022.
* The multi-hit game is her 18th of the year and her multi-RBI game is her team leading 15th.
* Kendra Falby belted two triples in today’s game, which is a new career-high for the sophomore and she also tied the UF single-game record for triples.
* Only six UF players have hit two triples in a game and Falby is the first to do it against a ranked opponent and an SEC opponent.
* Jackie Marchetta – vs. Birmingham Southern – Feb. 14, 2003
* Kim Waleszonia – at Coastal Carolina – Feb. 13, 2009
* Michelle Moultrie – vs. Utah – Feb. 26, 2011
* Cheyenne Lindsey – at North Florida – Feb. 22, 2022
* Skylar Wallace – vs. Coastal Carolina – March 4, 2022
* Kendra Falby – at No. 23 Kentucky – May 6, 2023
* Skylar Wallace scored once and had two RBI, which is her 14th multi-RBI game of the year.
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