Barnhill’s no-hitter pushes Florida Gators softball past Auburn

By
Andrew Spivey
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Special report on the Florida Gators softball team:

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 7 Florida downed No. 19 Auburn, 7-0, behind senior right-hander Kelly Barnhill’s first no-hitter of the season at Jane B. Moore Field on a clear Friday evening.

The Gators (38-12, 10-9 SEC) threatened offensively early and often against Tigers (34-14, 9-10 SEC), but didn’t break onto the scoreboard until Amanda Lorenz (1-for-4) cranked a three-run home run in the second off of AU’s starting pitcher Ashlee Swindle (9-7).

The three runs were all that Barnhill (26-8) needed in the circle as the Tigers only managed to reach base via a trio of walks and a wild pitch after Barnhill’s fifth strikeout of the game.

Jade Caraway (2-for-3) and Sophia Reynoso(2-for-3) each recorded a pair of hits in the contest, while Lorenz, Kendyl Lindaman, Jordan Roberts, Jaimie Hoover and Cheyenne Lindsey each tallied a hit for the Gators.

How It Happened

T-2nd 3-0 Lorenz put the Gators ahead with a three-run opposite field home run that cleared the left field wall. Caraway and Cheyenne Lindsey scored on the play.
T-4th 4-0 With runners on the corners, a wild pitch send Auburn’s catcher Kendall Veach to the backstop but an errant throw back to home plate prompted Reynoso run home.
T-6th 5-0 Caraway drove home Reynoso with a two-out line-drive to left field.
T-7th 7-0 With a 1-0 count on the board, Hoover blasted a two-run home run over the right center field wall to extend the Gators lead and score Kendyl Lindaman.

Standout Statistics

  • Barnhill picked up her first no-hitter of the season, eighth complete-game for her career, in tonight’s win against the Tigers.
    • It’s the fourth no-hitter of her career against an SEC opponent and second against a top-25 team.
    • She’s the only player in program history to have thrown a no-hitter in all four years of her playing career.
  • Barnhill also set the UF all-time strikeout record which was previously held by Stacey Nelson (2006-’09).
    • The Marietta, Ga. native tallied her record-breaking 1,117th career strikeout when she retired Makenna Dowell to cap the bottom of the fourth inning of play.

Notable Notes

  • Florida extended its all-time record over Auburn to 41-21 and 24-5 when on the road.
    • The Gators improved to 14-12 against top-25 opponents this season.
  • Amanda Lorenz surpassed Aja Paculba in the career hits category and now ranks second all-time with 280 career hits.
    • The Moorpark, Calif. natives’ 11thhome run of the season was also the 40th home run of her career as a Gator.
  • Barnhill struck out 10 batters in tonight’s game against the Tigers.
    • It’s the ninth time this season that the right-hander has struck out 10 or more opposing batters and the sixth time against a top-25 opponent.
    • She struck out the side fifth inning and has now stuck out the side 24 times this season.
  • Hoover hit her sixth home run of the season and now has 13 in her career.
Andrew Spivey
Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.