Special report on the Florida Gators softball team:
College Station, Texas – No. 6 Florida took the series with a convincing 8-3 win over Texas A&M on a windy Saturday evening at Davis Diamond.
The Gators (35-9, 8-6 SEC) picked up a quality start in the circle from freshman Elizabeth Hightower (3-0) and a clutch relief appearance from sophomore Natalie Lugo. Hightower hurled five innings and held the Aggies (25-17, 3-11 SEC) to just three runs, two earned, and scattered five hits.
Lugo entered in relief in the sixth with a runner on first and a 2-0 count on the batter and held off a late Texas A&M rally to secure the win.
Offensively, Kendyl Lindaman led Florida with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with four RBI. With the score tied 2-2, the Ankeny, Iowa native broke the game open in the fifth with an opposite field three-run home run, her 14th of the year, over the right field wall after Jade Caraway and Amanda Lorenz reached base via an infield single and walk respectively.
UF pounded out 11 hits in the game with mulit-hit performances from Sophia Reynoso(2-for-3), Hannah Sipos (2-for-3) and Lorenz (2-for-2).
How It Happened – Texas A&M – W, 8-3
| Inning | Score | Play |
| T–4th | 1-0 | Lindaman drove in Lorenz for the first run of game via a double off the padded wall in left center field. Lorenz led off the inning with a single up the middle. |
| T–4th | 2-0 | Reynoso plated the Gators second run of the day after she ripped an RBI single off the glove of Baylee Klingler at third base. Pinch-runner Amanda Beane to score from second base on the play. |
| B–4th | 2-2 | Riley Sartain tied the game after she connected on the first pitch offered from Hightower and sent it up the middle past Reynoso’s outstretched glove. |
| T–5th | 5-2 | With the wind whipping from left to right field, Lindman broke the 2-2 tie with a three-run opposite field home run over the wall in right field. Caraway and Lorenz scored on the play. |
| T–6th | 6-2 | Matthews cranked her second home run of the season after she sent the first pitch offered from Potts over the wall in center field. |
| T–6th | 7-2 | Sipos extended the lead after she executed a squeeze bunt that brought home a streaking Reynoso from third. |
| T–6th | 8-2 | With a 3-2 count, Lorenz drove in Hoover from third on a SAC fly to center field. |
| B–6th | 8-3 | The Aggies pushed across an unearned run via an RBI groundout to Adams in the 4-3 hole. |
Standout Statistic
- The four RBI tallied by Lindaman in this evening’s game against the Aggies is the fourth time this season that she has driven in four or more runs in a game.
- She has driven in three or more runs in a single game 10 times this season.
Notable Notes
- Florida is now 20-5 all-time against Texas A&M and 8-3 when playing in College Station.
- This is the 12th time this season that the Gators have produced 10 or more hits in a game.
- Matthews cranked her second home run of the season, first since Feb. 17, against Central Michigan, in the sixth inning against the Aggies.
- Sipos is now 5-for-7 (.714) in the series against Texas A&M.
Next Up
The Gators and the Aggies will complete the series Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET) at Davis Diamond. The game will be streamed on the SEC Network +.