Gator Country

After compiling a 42-0 record in her first two seasons, junior right-hander Stephanie Brombacher suffered her first loss at Florida Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Georgia Tech. / Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey

CLEARWATER – After opening the season with a victory, the No. 3 Florida softball team was shut out by No. 13 Georgia Tech, 3-0, in the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

Not only was it the first time that coach Tim Walton’s Gators (1-1) have lost to the Yellow Jackets (2-0), but junior right-hander Stephanie Brombacher lost for the first time in her Florida career.

Brombacher, who started her career 42-0, struck out five and did not walk a batter in the outing. She allowed a leadoff single by Christy Jones but then didn’t allow another hit until the fifth inning when Georgia Tech broke a 0-0 tie with the first two of four extra-base hits. With one out, Jessica Sinclair doubled to center. After another out, Kate Kuzma tripled to center to drive in Sinclair.

The Yellow Jackets got two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Jen Yee tripled to lead off the inning and winning pitcher Hope Rush hit a one-out homer to left for a 3-0 lead.

Rush scattered five singles by the Gators. Senior Francesca Enea had two of them, while Corrie Brooks, Megan Bush and Brittany Walker had the others. Rush struck out seven and walked four, stranding eight runners.

In the second inning, Brooks had a one-out single and Bush followed with a single to center. Freshman Brittany Walker was safe on a fielder’s choice when Rush was unable to get Brooks going to third. But junior Aja Paculba lined a shot back at Rush, who speared it and then threw to third to pick off Brooks.

Florida loaded the bases again in the third inning with one out, but Rush struck out Tiffany DeFelice and got Brooks to ground out to third.

In the season opener that was postponed by rain Friday, the Gators hit three home runs to beat East Carolina, 4-3. Freshman starter Ensley Gammel struck out seven in winning her Florida debut.

Junior Kelsey Bruder led the way with two of Florida’s five hits, including her first home run of the season. Enea and freshman Brittany Schutte also hit home runs off East Carolina pitcher Faith Sutton.

Bruder led off the second inning with a homer, the 18th of her career. Then in the third, Paculba had a one-out walk and came home on Enea’s two-out home run to center for a 3-0 lead. It was her 42nd career homer, the most in Florida’s softball history.

East Carolina got one of the runs back in the top of the fourth, but Schutte led off the fourth inning with a homer to center for a 4-1 lead.

The Pirates made things interesting when Marina Gusman-Brown doubled home two runs in the fifth but the Gators held on when freshman Erin Schuppert relieved Gammel and got the final four outs of the game for the save.

Florida concludes play today in the tournament by meeting host South Florida at 1:30 p.m. and then Long Island at 3:30 p.m. The Gators open their home schedule at the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Jacksonville. Following the game, the Gators will sign autographs.

More Other Sports | RSS