Big swings from Hoover, Adams lift Gators over Aggies

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

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 5 Florida defeated New Mexico State, 6-2, Wednesday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (13-0) picked up timely hits in the 1^st and 6^th innings to down the Aggies (3-10) in the midweek affair.

In the 1^st inning, Hannah Adams (3-for-4) continued her hot-streak at the plate as she led the game off with a single up the middle. Kendyl Lindaman followed up with a walk to put runners on first and second, which set the table for Julia Cottrill’s one-out RBI double down the right field line to score Adams.

Shortly afterwards, Jaimie Hoover (1-for-3) cranked her first home run of the season to break the game open and give the Gators a 4-0 lead. Hoover plated Lindaman and Cottrill when she roped the 1-0 offering from Aggies starting pitcher, Felcia De La Torre (1-3) over the right center field wall with two outs.
New Mexico State responded in the following frame and closed down the lead 4-1 with a pair of back-to-back hits off of Florida starting pitcher Rylee Trlicek.

The Gators pitch by committee approach to tonight’s game saw right-hander Elizabeth Hightower (6-0) come in 3^rd inning. The right-handed throwing Hightower retired 12 of the next 14 batters without giving up a hit. The Aggies were however able to reach via an error in the 5^th and a walk in the 6^thinnings, but there was no threat of scoring in those instances.

The Gators offense churned out two more runs in the home half of the 6^th inning as the team extended their lead out to 6-1 thanks to a SAC fly from Cheyenne Lindsey that scored Katie Kistler and a monster solo home run from Adams over the trees beyond the right field wall.

The Aggies were finally able to get a hit off of Hightower as the last batter she faced in the top of the 7^th inning was able to lift a ball over the left field wall and close down the UF lead to 6-2.

Regardless of the outcome of that at-bat, the Gators were already poised to bring in Natalie Lugo to close out the game. Lugo went on to retire the final three batters in order to seal the Gators victory.

Next up for No. 5 Florida is a meeting with in-state rival No. 16 Florida State. The two teams will compete Friday, March 5, at 3:30 p.m. on the SEC Network at KSP Stadium, then will play Saturday, March 6, at Joanne Graf Field at 6 p.m. in Tallahassee on the ACC Network Extra.