A special report from the UAA on the Florida Gators softball team:
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The fifth-ranked Florida softball team completed the SEC series sweep of Mississippi State with an 8-0 (5) run-rule victory Sunday afternoon at Nusz Park. Elizabeth Hightower (10-0) held MSU to just two hits and Kinsey Goelz belted her second home run of the series to spark the offense.
The Gators (21-2, 5-1 SEC) shut out the Bulldogs (15-11, 0-6 SEC) the entire series, which is the first time the program has shut out an SEC opponent in a road series since 2009 at LSU.
In the top of the 2nd inning, Kinsey Goelz put the Gators on the scoreboard, 2-0, and set the tone for the afternoon when she crushed her second career home run off of MSU starting pitcher Annie Willis (7-2). Jaimie Hoover reached earlier in the inning when she took the 0-1 pitch off the shoulder and advanced into scoring position with her fourth stolen base of the season.
Florida extended its lead to 8-0 with a big six-run explosion in the top of the 4th inning. With one out, Cheyenne Lindsey, Hannah Adams and Kendyl Lindaman notched back-to-back-to-back singles off Willis to load the bases.
Charla Echols then drew a four-pitch walk that scored Lindsey and pushed the UF lead out to 3-0 , which prompted Willis being lifted from the circle. Bulldogs reliever Aspen Wesley entered the game but Avery Goelz drew the same result and extended the lead out to 4-0 as she plated Adams after watching four consecutive balls.
Jordan Matthews busted game open, 6-0, when she dropped an RBI single that scored pinch-runner Baylee Goddard and Echols raced home after the Bulldogs committed a throwing error during the play.
Julia Cottrill capped the scoring and the Gators an 8-0 lead with her two-RBI single back up the middle of the Bulldogs defense that scored Avery Goelz and pinch-runner Katie Kistler.
Notable Notes:
- The Gators improved to 40-20 all-time against the Bulldogs and 20-8 when playing in Starkville against MSU.
- The 8-0 (5 innings) shutout was the 19th all-time shutout of Mississippi State.
- It’s the first run-rule victory since the Gators bested the Bulldogs 16-0 (5 innings) April 22, 2016.
- UF has a total of 11 run-rule victories over Mississippi State.
- Florida now has 11 shutouts on the season and is one of eight teams to have 10 or more shutouts.
- This weekend’s series shutout of Mississippi State is the first series shutout of an SEC opponent on the road since Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher achieved the feat at LSU in 2009.
- Hightower extended her scoreless inning streak to 19.1 innings, which bests career-long 13.1 innings she set earlier this season.
- The Monticello, Fla. native now has four complete-game shutouts on the year.
- Hannah Adams extended her hit-streak out to eight games, which beats her career-long she set Feb. 21-March 2 earlier this season.
- Hannah Adams, Julia Cottrill and Jordan Matthews each tallied multi-hit games.
- Adams now has 10 on the season, while Cottrill has five and Matthews has two.
- Lindaman has currently reached base safely 11 consecutive games and Hannah Adams has extended her reached base streak to eight games.
- Hightower held MSU batters to only two hits today, which ties the Bulldogs season low for hits in a game.
- Mississippi State has only been held to five or less hits only six times this season, two of which were dealt by the Gators pitching staff.
- Florida pitching has held opponents to five hits or less 20 out of 23 games played so far this season.