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Gators Create Memorable Moments in Wins Over No. 16 Michigan & Kansas City
TAMPA – No. 6-ranked Florida picked up a pair of wins on day two of the USF – Rawlings Invitational with a 7-1 victory over Kansas City and a 4-0 shutout of No. 16 Michigan Saturday afternoon.
The Gators (3-0) picked up a series of clutch performances in the two wins, but a pair of moments stuck out in the game two victory over the Wolverines (2-1), the program’s first Top 25 opponent.
Cheyenne Lindsey (Chattanooga, Tenn.) broke open a scoreless tie in the 6th inning with a monster grand slam over the right center field wall off of Michigan’s ace Meghan Beaubien, while freshman right-handed pitcher Lexie Delbrey (Bainbridge, Ga.) tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the 2021 Big Ten Champions.
During the first game of the day against Kansas City, a pair of Florida freshmen in outfielder Kendra Falby (Odessa, Fla.) and catcher Sam Roe (Destin, Fla.) produced a pair of memorable moments. With the Gators behind 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning of play, Falby erased the deficit with one swing of the bat and put the Gators on top 2-1 with her first collegiate home run that soared over the right center field wall.
Roe then followed Falby’s long ball with one of her own as she smashed her first collegiate home run over the left center field wall in the 4th inning to give UF a 3-1 lead. The dinger was also the first collegiate hit for the early enrollee that joined the program in January.
The Gators offense broke the game open and extend their lead out to 7-1 in the 6th inning. Lindsey produced a two-RBI triple to right center that scored freshman Reagan Walsh (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Katie Kistler (Orange Park, Fla.) who each reached on base hits. It was the first collegiate hit of Walsh’s career.
Roe drove in Lindsey in the next at-bat with a squeeze bunt back to the Roos pitcher for her second RBI of the game.
The inning continued thanks to an infield single by Falby and a Hannah Adams (Hoschton, Ga.) RBI triple that pushed the lead over Kansas City out to 7-1.
Florida’s pitching was solid against the Roos as Elizabeth Hightower (2-0) picked up her second win in as many days, while Delbrey and graduate transfer Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla.) sealed the victory in the final 1.1 innings.
Offensively through both games combined the Gators produced a total of 16 hits, two triples and three home runs. Lindsey was 3-for-6 on the day with 6 RBI and a pair of runs scored, while Adams went 4-for-8 and Falby was 3-for-6. Skylar Wallace also picked up a pair of hits
The Gators look to close out the USF – Rawlings Invitational Saturday at 12:02 p.m. against host team USF.
Notables:
* Florida now holds a combined career record of 87-25 against the 2022 USF – Rawlings Invitational field of opponents.
* UF improved to 13-10 all-time against Michigan and is now 1-0 after its first meeting with Kansas City today.
* Head Coach Tim Walton now holds a career record of 965-246 as he is in his 20th season of being a head coach.
* Cheyenne Lindsey’s grand slam against the Wolverines in the 6th inning was the first of her career and the first since Sarah Longley’s grand slam against USF in the 2021 NCAA Regional Championship May 23, 2021.
* Kendra Falby belted her first collegiate home run in the 2nd inning against Kansas City to give Florida a 2-1 lead over the Roos.
* Sam Roe collected her first collegiate hit, which was also a home run, in the 4th inning against Kansas City. The home run extended Florida’s lead out to 3-1.
* Reagan Walsh notched her first collegiate hit with a single through the left side in the 6th inning against Kansas City that sparked a four-run inning for the Gators.
* Lexie Delbrey’s threw a complete-game one-hit shutout in her first collegiate start against No. 16 Michigan.
* It’s the first complete-game one-hit shutout of a Top 25 opponent since Elizabeth Hightower against No. 16 Florida State (May 5, 2021).
* The feat was the first complete-game, one-hit, shutout of a Top 25 opponent by a Florida freshman pitcher since Stacey Steven against No. 18 South Carolina (April 10, 2004) and only the second all-time.
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