A special report from the UAA on the Florida Gators softball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 6 Florida picked up back-to-back shutout victories over Louisville, 2-0, and McNeese, 1-0, in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators (12-0) received quality pitching from Katie Chronister (5-0), Natalie Lugo and Elizabeth Hightower (5-0, 1 SV) in both games as the trio only allowed a combined four hits and one walk through 15.0 innings pitched today.
Chronister received the start in the first game against Louisville (3-6) and hurled 6.0 innings of shutout softball with a career-high eight strikeouts. Hightower entered the game in the 7th inning against the Cardinals and shut the door when she retired the side in order to pick up her first save of the season.
Against McNeese, Natalie Lugo turned in her best performance of the season. The West Covina, Calif. native hurled 5.1 innings and limited the Cowgirls to just one hit, before Hightower entered the scoreless game in the 6th inning with one out.
Hightower picked up her second win of the week by holding McNeese to just one base runner over the final 2.2 innings, which gave the Gators time for another walk-off performance by Hannah Adams.
Adams sealed the victory against the Cowgirls with her second walk-off of the season. The Hoschton, Ga. native blistered the 1-2 offering from Jenna Edwards over the center field wall with one out in the bottom of the 8th inning.
Against Louisville, the Gators scored a pair of runs in the 3rd inning to win 2-0 over the Cardinals. Jaimie Hoover reached with a leadoff walk and was moved into scoring position by Kali Reis on a SAC bunt.
Cheyenne Lindsey drove in Hoover in the next at-bat with an RBI single up the middle and later in the inning Charla Echols plated Lindsey on a SAC fly to left field.
Next up for the sixth-ranked Gators is a midweek matchup with New Mexico State at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Wednesday, March 3, at 6 p.m.