UF SB: Florida Exits Palo Alto Regional with Defeat to No. 9-Seed Stanford

The Gators concluded the 2023 season with a .315 batting average, which is the highest team batting average since 2011 and ranks fifth best all-time in program history.

PALO ALTO, Calif. – The Florida softball team’s 2023 season came to an end Sunday afternoon after an 11-2 defeat to No. 9-seed Stanford in the NCAA Palo Alto Regional.

The Gators (38-22) earned seven hits spread across six different players in the lineup and battled until the final out in the contest against the Cardinal (43-13), who had 11 hits.

Stanford started the game as the designated visitors and were up to bat first in the contest against Florida left-handed starter Rylee Trlicek (15-6). The Cardinal managed to immediately load the bases via a walk and a pair of singles, but graduate senior Charla Echols quickly changed the momentum as she snagged a sharply hit line drive in front of the third base bag and tagged the runner for a double play.

The Cardinal eventually responded with an RBI single up the middle that plated the first run of the game via a two-out RBI single that put them ahead 1-0.

The Gators offense immediately picked up where it left off from last night’s win over LMU as Skylar Wallace and Kendra Falby led off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back singles to set the table for Echols. Echols produced the Orange & Blue’s third consecutive base hit to start the frame which tied the game 1-1 by plating Wallace from second base.

Reagan Walsh put UF on top 2-1 in the following at-bat when she drove home Falby from third on an infield groundout.

After a scoreless second inning, Stanford rallied to take the lead 3-2 on four hits. Trlicek struck out the first batter of the frame before she relinquished a single to center field. Katie Kistler then made a spectacular grab in the left center field gap for the second out, but a walk and a pair of RBI singles followed to give the Cardinal back the lead.

Elizabeth Hightower entered the circle to relieve Trlicek and forced a groundout to third to limit the damage.

Stanford went on to plate four runs in the top of the fifth inning to extend its lead out to 7-2. The Cardinal was able to load the bases via a two-out full-count walk and scored the first run via a wild pitch. A two-out walk reloaded the bases and prompted a pitching change for the Gators as Lexie Delbrey entered the game in relief of Hightower. SU added a second run via a walk, which was followed by a two-RBI single through the left side.

The Cardinal added four more runs in the top of the seventh inning to conclude the scoring for the game. A leadoff home run to left field stretched the lead out to 8-2, a SAC fly to left pushed across an unearned run and a two-out, two-run home run pushed the lead out to 11-2.

Notables:

* The Gators offense finished the 2023 season as one of the best in last decade.
* Batting Average | .315 – 5th
* Slugging Percentage | .523 – 5th
* Stolen Base Percentage | .934 – 3rd
* Triples | 16 – 4th
* Home Runs | 69 – 7th
* RBI | 361 – 8th
* Total Bases | 794 – 8th
* Skylar Wallace had one of the best individual seasons in Florida history.
* Batting Average | .447 – 1st
* Slugging Percentage | .980 – 1st
* On Base Percentage | .595 – 1st
* Stolen Base Percentage | .968 – 2nd
* Runs | 72 – 5th
* Triples | 8 – 3rd
* Home Runs | 19 – 5th
* Walks | 51 – 6th
* Charla Echols finished her graduate season with 68 RBI which ranks seventh all-time in a single season. In her career she has amassed 210 RBI, which she is only the fourth Gator in program history to record 200 or more RBI.
* Echols also finished her career as a Gators as one of the best.
* Batting Average | .355 – 7th
* Slugging Percentage | .637 – 7th
* Home Runs | 40 – 7th
* RBI | 210 – 4th
* SAC Flies | 21 – 1st
* Assists | 403 – 6th
* Double Plays Turned | 42 – 10th
* Rylee Trlicek finished her career tied for 8th overall in lowest stolen base percentage against (.588), 9th fewest walks allowed per seven innings (2.10) and tied for 6th in saves (8).
* Elizabeth Hightower concluded her Florida career ranked inside the career top 10 in appearances (136 – 8th), games started (100 – 7th), combined shutouts (14 – 9th), innings pitched (561.0 – 9th),