UF SB: Lindsey Lifts Gators to Series Clinching Victory; Walton Achieves 1,000 Wins

BATON ROUGE, La. – The ninth-ranked Florida softball team’s series clinching, 2-1 (9 innings), victory over No. 19 LSU was a historic one as Head Coach Tim Walton achieved his 1,000th career Division I victory Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park. Walton’s milestone win makes him the second fastest to reach 1,000 NCAA Division I wins behind legendary Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea.
The Gators (38-13, 13-11 SEC) victory over the Tigers (32-19, 11-10 SEC) was secured by senior Cheyenne Lindsey’s heroic home run in the top of the ninth inning of play. Facing the adversity of an 0-2 count and going 0-for-4 in her previous at-bats, the Chattanooga, Tenn. native, blasted her second home run of the series off of LSU starter Ali Kilponen (17-5) over the right field wall and off the scoreboard to break the 1-1 tie.
Florida and LSU were locked in a pitcher’s duel between UF starter Elizabeth Hightower and Kilponen for the duration of the game.
The Orange & Blue struck for the first run of the game in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Kilponen issued back-to-back walks to Katie Kistler and Cali Decker, while Avery Goelz followed up to load the based in the next at-bat with a single to shallow center field.
Kendra Falby registered the first RBI of the game as her sacrifice fly to left field allowed the speedy Kistler to race home.
LSU struck back in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 1-1 as Shelbi Sunseri beat the infield shift via an RBI single through the right side of the Gators infield. Pinch-runner Raeleen Gutierrez set up Sunseri after she entered the game for Georgia Clark and stole second base.
Hightower went on to finish the frame and went on to pitch a scoreless fifth frame before she was relieved by Rylee Trlicek with one out in the sixth inning. Trlicek and the Gators defense held LSU’s streaking offense at-bay for the next 2 1/3 innings.
One of the major highlights with Trlicek in the circle included a 5-4-3 double play that was initiated by the fantastic glovework of Charla Echols at third base in the seventh inning.
Natalie Lugo (9-4) entered the game to relieve Trlicek the eighth with two outs and went on to close out the game for her ninth win of the season.
The win today concluded the Gators Southeastern Conference regular season schedule and the team now turns its focus to a rematch with No. 4 Florida State in Tallahassee this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Notables:

* The Gators clinched their 10th-straight Southeastern Conference Regular Season road series with today’s win.
* The last road series lost occurred at Ole Miss during the 2019 season.
* Head Coach Tim Walton earned his 1,000th career win and became the second fastest Division I softball head coach to achieve the feat. Only legendary head coach Mike Candrea reached 1,000 Division I wins faster.
* There are only 13 active NCAA DI softball head coaches with at least 1,000 wins.
* Walton joins Gators volleyball Head Coach Mary Howard as the only active coaches with 1,000 wins at the University of Florida.
* Florida is now be the only Division I program in the nation with two active head coaches who each have 1,000 Division I wins.
* Cheyenne Lindsey’s second home run of the series was a big one as it clinched the series for the Gators in the ninth inning of play.
* Cali Decker registered her the first multi-hit game of her career in today’s game. Decker was 2-for-2 with a walk in her second career start.
Top 3 Fastest to 1,000 NCAA Division I Softball Wins
Rank

Name, Institution

Years

Wins

Losses

Ties

Total Games

Mike Candrea, Arizona*&

1000

191

1211

Tim Walton, Florida*

1000