Florida defeats FSU 4-2 in Tallahassee

Special to GC

The No. 6/8 Gator Softball team defeated No. 8/7 Florida State, 4-2, on Wednesday (April 9) at JoAnne Graf Field. Florida (35-8) received another strong performance in the circle from senior right-hander Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) who improved to 17-6 on the season as she allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

The contest opened as a pitchers’ duel, with both pitchers firing blanks for the first three innings. Florida State posted a walk and a hit in the second, but Rogers ended the threat with a popout to second and a flyout to right. The Gators got on the board in the fourth when Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) hit a bases-loaded single through the left side to score Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) and Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.).

Rogers walked one batter and hit another in the bottom of the fourth, but induced two fielder’s choices and a groundout to keep the Seminoles scoreless. Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) drew a two-out walk in the fifth before she was caught stealing for the third out. FSU had runners at first and third after a pair two-out singles off Rogers in the bottom of the inning, but Rogers induced a groundout to end the inning.

The Seminoles cut Florida’s lead to 2-1 in the sixth with an RBI single down the right-field line. Stephanie Tofft(Lincoln, Calif.) was hit by a pitch in the seventh before Bailey Castro (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run to left field that extended the Gator advantage to 4-1 and chased FSU starter Lacey Waldrop.

Florida State added an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out infield single, but the Seminoles got no closer as Rogers induced a popout and groundout to finish off Florida’s 4-2 win.

Raymond Hines
Back when I was a wee one I had to decide if I wanted to live dangerously and become a computer hacker or start a website devoted to the Gators. I chose the Gators instead of the daily thrill of knowing my next meal might be at Leavenworth. No regrets, however. The Gators have been and will continue to be my addiction. What makes this so much fun is that the more addicted I become to the Florida Gators, the more fun I have doing innovative things to help bring all the Gator news that is news (and some that isn’t) to Gator fans around the world. Andy Warhol said we all have our 15 minutes of fame. Thanks to Gator Country, I’m working on a half hour. Thanks to an understanding daughter that can’t decide if she’s going to be the female version of Einstein, Miss Universe, President of the United States or a princess, I get to spend my days doing what I’ve done since Gus Garcia and I founded Gator Country back in 1996. Has it really been over a decade and a half now?