Florida Gators softball shuts out Florida State

Special report on the Florida Gators softball team:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla – No. 6 Florida shut out No. 4 Florida State, 4-0, in the second installment of  Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown at JoAnne Graf Field Wednesday night.

The Gators (37-9) picked up a complete-game performance in the circle from senior right-hander Kelly Barnhill (25-6). The Marietta, Ga. native only gave up a pair of hits to the Seminoles (38-8) in the effort.

The scoring began in the fourth, UF struck for three runs thanks to Jordan Matthews (1-for-3) and Hannah Adams (3-for-3), who produced RBI base hits that were initially set up by a Kendyl Lindaman walk and Jordan Roberts (2-for-4) single.

After the bases were loaded once more in the inning, FSU’s Makinzy Herzog (6-2) was relieved by Kathryn Sandercock. Sandercock managed to get the Seminoles out of the jam and stop the Gators rally after she forced an unconventional 6-2-5 double play, but the damage was already done.

Florida went on to tack on one more run in the seventh to extend the lead out to 4-0 and secure the game. Amanda Lorenz

How It Happened – No. 4 Florida State – W, 4-0

Inning Score Play
T–4th 1-0 Matthews broke open the scoring with a double off the center field wall. Pinch-runner Amanda Beanescored on the play.
T–4th 3-0 Adams extended the Gators lead with a two-run double driven to the left center field gap. Pinch-runner Haven Sampson and Matthews scored on the play.
T–7th 4-0 Roberts pushed the lead out with an RBI single off the ankle of Sandercock, which allowed Lorenz to score from third. Lorenz led off the inning with a triple to left field.

Notable Notes

  • Florida improved to 26-17 all-time against Florida State and 15-9 when on the road.
  • UF picked up it’s 13th win and seventh shutout against a ranked opponent this season.
    • Tonight was only the third time this season that Florida State has been shutout and it’s the second lowest hit total the Seminoles have recorded in a game.
    • The program is now 6-3 on the season when on network television.
  • Barnhill picked up nine strikeouts in the game against the Seminoles.
    • The Marietta, Ga. native now has 1,101 for her career and is just 15 from the all-time record of 1,116 held by Stacey Nelson.
  • Barnhill struck out the Seminole side in the third inning of play and now has struck out the opposing side 23 times this season.
  • With multi-hit performances from Adams, Reynoso and Roberts tonight, the Gators have produced 75 multi-hit performances on the year.
    • Adams picked up her eighth multi-hit game of the season, while Reynoso and Roberts tallied their sixth.
    • It’s the fourth consecutive game that multiple Gators have recorded multi-hit performances.
  • With her leadoff triple in the seventh inning, Lorenz moved into a tie with Aja Paculba for fourth all-time in UF history with 10 for her career.
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.