Florida Gators softball defeats Louisville in weekend opener

By
Bailiegh Carlton
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A special report from the UAA on the Florida Gators softball team:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 6 Florida defeated Louisville, 5-1, early Saturday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Elizabeth Hightower (4-0) turned in a complete-game two-hit performance from the circle to help secure the win.

The Gators (10-0) fell behind 1-0 in the top of the 4th inning of play and the Cardinals (3-5) scored on the only two hits relinquished by Hightower, but Florida immediate responded in the home half of the inning to take the first of two games between the two clubs.

Julia Cottrill started the rally with a leadoff walk, which was then followed by back-to-back one-out singles from Avery Goelz to load the bases.

With a full-count, pinch-hitter Bryn Thomas tied the game with her bases loaded RBI walk to score Cottrill.

In the following at-bat, Cheyenne Lindsey gave Florida a 3-1 lead when she drilled a two-RBI double to right field that scored Goelz and Hoover.

After picking up her seventh multi-hit game with a pair of singles in the 1st and 3rd innings, Hannah Adams pushed the lead out to 4-1 when she plated Kali Reis on a SAC fly to left field.

The Gators capped the scoring with a perfectly executed double steal by Lindsey and pinch-runner Katie Kistler.

In the circle, Hightower also limited Louisville to just five bases runners all game. The Monticello, Fla. native also gathered five strikeouts in her second complete-game of the year.

Adams, A. Goelz and Hoover all turned in 2-for-3 performances at the plate, while Lindsey gathered the seventh hit in her 1-for-3 performance.

The Gators return to action Sunday at 10 a.m. with its final game against Louisville and will then turn around to face McNeese State at 1 p.m. to close out the weekend. Fans can listen to the game online at FloridaGators.com

Notable Notes

  • Florida improved to 3-0 in the all-time series with Louisville and it’s the first win against the Cardinals at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
    • Feb. 4, 2005 – W, 3-2 – Clearwater, Fla.
    • March 2, 2008 – W, 4-2 – Fullerton, Calif.
  • The Florida pitching staff has limited opposing offenses to a .143 batting average and hasn’t allowed more than five hits in a single game so far this season.
    • Hightower turned in her second complete-game performance of the season with the two-hitter against Louisville today.
  • Hannah Adams picked up her team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the year after going 2-for-3 against the Cardinals.
  • Cheyenne Lindsey’s double in the 4th inning was her fifth of the season which ties her with Adams for the team lead.
    • Overall the Gators have hit 23 doubles so far this year which currently ranks inside the top 5 nationally.
  • The Gators stole three bases today, which ties the 2021 single-game mark established against Georgia Southern (2/21) just last week.
    • Florida is now 15-15 on the year in stolen bases.
Bailiegh Carlton
Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.