COLUMBIA, SC — Florida’s second ranked softball team finished off its first Southeastern Conference weekend of the season, knocking off South Carolina 6-0 to finish with a sweep of the series. Stacy Nelson went the distance for the Gators, allowing just five hits while striking out seven as she improved to 11-2 on the season.
The Gators are 22-2 on the season and now 3-0 in the SEC. They return to SEC action Wednesday when they play host to Georgia at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators got the only run they needed in the first inning when hot hitting Kelsey Bruder smacked her third home run of the series over the right field fence. It was her seventh homer of the season and her sixth in the last seven games.
The Gators gave Nelson all the insurance she needed in the second by scoring four runs with two outs. Singles by Megan Bush and Kirstina Hilberth set the table for Aja Paculba, whose single to right field was mishandled, allowing both runners to score. Paculba wound up on third and after Bruder was hit by a pitch, Ali Gardiner doubled in the runners for a 5-0 Florida lead.
A single, a stolen base, a fielding error and a passed ball brought home the final run for the Gators in the fifth.
Nelson’s shutout was her sixth and the 12th of the season for the Gators. Ali Gardiner led Florida’s 12-hit attack with two hits and two RBI.
In sweeping the series, the Gators ran their winning streak to 17 over the Gamecocks, who are 12-5 overall and 0-3 in the SEC.