Throughout the season, Florida softball head coach Tim Walton has stressed the significance of always having a chance to win until the last out.
That resiliency proved to have stuck with the Gators on Saturday as they won their second game of the NCAA Regional against the UCLA Bruins 4-2, with all four runs coming with two outs.
The University of Florida was outhit four to five but it was the clutch hits with two outs along with strong defense that gave Florida the victory.
“We’ve been working really, really hard on the routine defensive plays and on the special plays, and we made those all today with the exception of one,” Walton said.
Freshman pitcher Hannah Rogers looked like she might have been in trouble early in her first NCAA postseason game as UCLA’s B.B. Bates hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Gators in a quick 2-0 hole.
A huge turning point in the game occurred when the Bruins’ catcher Alyssa Tiumalu got hurt after being tagged out by second baseman Aja Paculba during a double play in the top of the second inning.
UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said that she didn’t know what the injury was, or how long Tiumalu would be out.
“I think the double play really helped us grab momentum and keep them off,” Paculba said.
Utility player Grace Murray finished the game for the Bruins and the Gators continued their assault on the basepaths finishing the game with five stolen bases.
“We’ve nine stolen bases in the last two games, I don’t know if we’ve had nine stolen bases in a week,” Walton said.
Florida fought back to scratch out a run in the bottom of the inning with a RBI single from senior Megan Bush that blooped over the head of UCLA third baseman GiOnna DiSalvatore.
Junior Michelle Moultrie made it even at two apiece with an RBI triple in the second as she brought in Kelsey Horton after she made it to scoring position by stealing second.
Murray’s lack of in-game experience behind the plate gave the Gators the 3-2 lead in the third as she mishandled an intentional walk leading to a passed ball that scored Paculba.
Paculba scored again on another passed ball in the fifth resulting in the final run, which proved to be more than enough to put away the Bruins.
After giving up two runs in the first inning, Rogers threw a scoreless game the rest of the way for the complete-game win in 124 pitches.
Rogers had a lot of help throughout the game from the Gators’ defense that kept the Bruins from scoring after the first.
Paculba capped off her day with a running throw on a grounder the middle to throw out Talee Snow at first for the second to last out in the game. And Moultrie then used her speed to track down a shot in center field to
end the game.
“We played very good defense” Paculba said. “I think with the amount of practice we’ve had this week, we’ve really been working hard on making the routine plays and making the great plays.”
Paculba and Bush said with the postseason, their senior leadership had to step up despite having individual slumps at the plate during the season.
“Whether I do great or she does great, we know our team really has our backs, and we want to be there for them,” Bush said.
“I don’t want to end in a loss. I don’t want my Gator career to end in a slump,” Paculba said. “I just want to get those hits for the team.”
The Gators play UCLA again Sunday at 1p.m., at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to determine the winner of the Gainesville Regional. Florida will have two opportunities to win the regional with the second game at 3:30 p.m., if necessary.
You can follow Gator Country reporter Chris Raleigh on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ChrisRaleighGC.