No. 8-seed Gators Advance with Win Over No.9-seed Kentucky
The Florida softball team advances to the 2023 SEC Tournament quarterfinals to face No. 1-seed Tennessee Friday, May 12, at 11 a.m. ET.
FAYETTEVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-seeded Florida softball team downed ninth-seeded Kentucky, 6-2, Thursday afternoon at Bogle Park to advance to the quarterfinals of 2023 SEC Tournament. UF is set to take on No. 1-seed Tennessee Friday, May 12, at 11 a.m. ET
The Gators (36-19) fought from being down 2-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning against the Wildcats (30-20-1) and scored five unanswered runs to claim the victory. The Orange & Blue tallied nine hits in the effort to improve to 37-29 overall in the SEC Tournament with the win.
Florida struck for the first run of the game in the bottom of the 1st inning of action. Wallace led off the game with her 47th walk of the year and moved to third via a passed ball and a productive groundout by Falby. Echols plated Wallace via a SAC fly to center field for her SEC leading 62nd RBI of the season.
Kentucky’s offense responded in the top of the 4th inning to take the lead 2-1 via a pair of hits. Grace Lorsung produced an infield single deep into hole between third and shortstop, but was later retired at second base on a grounder to Wallace from Jenna Blanton. Meeko Harrison put UK on the board in the following at-bat via a two-out, two-run home run to right center field off right-handed starter Elizabeth Hightower.
The Gators evened the score 2-2 in the home half of the 4th inning thanks to Kaila Pollard’s third home run of the year. The Riverside, Calif. native fought through a five-pitch at-bat and launched the 2-2 offering from Schoonover over the wall in left center field to tie the game.
In the top of the 5th inning, Florida elected to bring in Rylee Trlicek (13-4) in relief of Hightower. Trlicek retired the Kentucky side in order for the first time of the game to hold the tie at 2-2 and send UF back to the plate.
After she drew two walks in her first two plate appearances, Wallace gave the Orange & Blue the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the 5th inning via her 19th home run of the year. Falby followed up with an infield single and Echols put runners on the corners with a single through the right side. That set the table for Reagan Walsh’s SAC fly in foul territory down the left field line that scored Falby from third and advanced Echols to second.
Pal Egan continued the rally and scored Echols in the ensuing at-bat via an RBI single to center field that stretched the lead out to 5-2.
Florida added to its lead in the bottom of the 6th inning when Wallace and Echols combined for a pair of infield hits. Wallace beat out a grounder to third base and advanced into scoring position on a groundout to short. Echols then notched her second RBI of the game when she scorched a shot back to the circle that allowed Wallace to race all the way home from second base.
Trlicek went on to finish the game by only allowing two hits and a walk to secure her 13th victory of the season.
The Gators advance to take on No. 1-seed Tennessee at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET Friday morning in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament at Bogle Park.
Notables:
* Florida improved to 37-29 overall in the Southeastern Conference Tournament with today’s win.
* The Gators one run in the bottom of the 1st inning is the first time that the Orange & Blue has scored first in the four meetings between the two schools this season.
* Skylar Wallace extended her reached base safely streak to 20 games after going 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks and her 19th home run of the season.
* Overall, she has reached base safely in 50 of the 51 games played this season.
* Wallace also scored three times in today’s game which ties her career-high. She’s scored three runs in a game six times so far this year.
* Kaila Pollard hit her third home run of the season in the bottom of the 4th inning that tied the game 2-2 with UK.
* Pollard now has hits in back-to-back games and her home run is the first since March 4, at UAB.
* Charla Echols went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI and a run scored. The Newnan, Ga. native now has 63 RBI on the season.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com<http://www.floridagators.com/softball/>
Florida Softball on Twitter<http://twitter.com/GatorsSB>
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter<https://twitter.com/_TimWalton>
Florida Softball on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/GatorsSB>
