Special report on the Florida Gators softball team:
BATON ROUGE – No. 7 Florida took the first game of the series, 4-3, in a pitchers’ duel to No. 9 LSU at Tiger Park on a chilly Saturday evening.
The Gators (24-4, 2-2 SEC) upended the Tigers (22-6, 2-2 SEC) with grand slam provided by junior Kendyl Lindaman with two outs in the top of the seventh off of Shelbi Sunseri (6-4).
The late game heroics was set up by a leadoff walk from Jaimie Hoover and a single to right field by Jordan Matthews. With two on and two out, LSU elected to intentionally walk 2018 SEC Player of the Year Amanda Lorenz to load the bases for Lindaman.
Senior right-handed pitcher Kelly Barnhill(15-2) picked up the win in the circle and dished out eight strikeouts in the complete-game effort. Barnhill only relinquished three hits to the potent LSU offense.
UF managed three hits in the contest but made solid contact throughout the game with several deep fly balls to the warning track. However, Lindaman’s long ball left no doubt as it easily cleared the wall in center field.
How It Happened – LSU – W, 4-3
| Inning | Score | Play |
| B-5th | 0-1 | LSU struck for the first run of the game via a pair of extra base hits. A triple from Savannah Stewart to right field eventually scored Amber Serrett who reached via a double to left field. |
| T-7th | 4-1 | With UF down to its last out and a 1-1 count at the plate, Lindaman crushed her second grand slam of the season over the wall in center field to give the Gators their first lead of the game. |
| B-7th | 4-3 | LSU rallied late in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run from Serrett. Elyse Thornhill scored on the play after she reached base on a full-count walk. |
Standout Statistic
- Lindaman’s grand slam in the seventh is the second grand slam of the season.
- She belted her first against Syracuse (2/23) at the Bubly Invitational in the fourth inning.
- This is also Florida’s third grand slam of the year.
Notable Notes
- Florida extended its road win streak to 10 games with the victory over LSU at Tiger Park to open the series.
- Currently the Gators hold the nation’s second longest road win streak behind UCLA.
- Barnhill hurled eight strikeouts in the victory and has now accumulated 988 over her career as a Gator.
- Only Gator Great Stacey Nelson has hurled more than 1,000 strikeouts wearing the Orange and Blue.
- Lindaman extended her reached base safely streak to 27 games.
- The only game this season that she has not reached safely was in the season opener against Illinois State.
- The Gators improved to 7-4 against teams ranked inside the Top 25.
- Tonight was the program’s third come-from-behind victory of the year.
Next Up
Florida returns to Tiger Park Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. (ET) for the second game of the three-game series against LSU on the SEC Network.