(SB) Florida vs UCLA 2/23/23 10:30PM FLO Sports

I do t freak out over one game. Didn’t Washington run tile in Gainesville in the supers one year? Or was it UCLA, and we can’t back and won game three handily.
But it was disappointing that we weren’t even competitive.

 

I think it was Washington. I remember lots of weather delays and Kelsey Stewart crushing a homer just as lightning struck!

 

I went back and looked, it was 2014 vs Washington. And they didn’t run rule us; they walked us off 4-3. I just remember whoever scored the winning run standing there and posing towards our bench. We won the other two games in that super 8–0 and 9-0.

 

They flew through four different time zones and then had a late game. They were probably yawning by the time the first pitch was thrown and were ready for bed.

 

Yeah 2014 our first national championship year. That was a special season.

 

This loss could be a good thing. If they meet in CWS UCLA will think they have a walk in the park and of course they beat Gators without Wallace or facing Delbrey or Hightower. Won't be quite so easy the second time around.

 

I still have confidence that this can be a really good season as well. I like this lineup top to bottom more than any we’ve had in several seasons. I think what this game shows you though is that we don’t have an ace pitcher that can match up with an ace like Faraimo and possibly win a 1-0 or 2-1 type game. It looks like we may have one or more of those ace’s on the squad next season and will be in better position to compete for a national title.

 

I think Lexie could be a true ace if she’s mastered her command issues from last season and gets healthy.

 

I was hoping she would step up this year and become that ace as well. Hopefully she comes back quickly and can give us another arm we can count on during conference play.

 

Hightower seems to be back to her form of a couple of years ago when she was an All American. She's got another shutout going today, as UF is beating UC Riverside 7-0 in the bottom of the 6th. Hightower has yet to give up and earned run in something like 28 innings. I agree that Delbrey has a higher upside, but if she & EH both pitch at a high level, we could be dangerous.