Opposing teams may want to finally take the hint: Never load the bases with Florida’s Corrie Brooks in the on-deck circle. There’s a good chance Brooks will empty them.
Brooks launched her third grand-slam home run of the year to help lead the No. 1 Gators to a pair of 7-0 victories over the No. 6 Volunteers Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The victories raised Florida’s winning streak to 20 and made coach Tim Walton the school’s all-time winningest coach with 194 victories.
Brooks has become so accustomed to hitting grand slams that she has her own personal video reel playing in her head when she steps up to the plate with the bases loaded.
“The grand slams that I had before, they do a replay in my head and I’m like, ‘Bases loaded. OK. Let’s try to replay that again,’” said Brooks, who added a solo homer in the second game, giving her five home runs and 28 RBI for the season.
This grand slam in the third inning of game one gave the Gators (31-2, 10-0 SEC East) a comfortable 5-0 lead and helped Walton move ahead of former coach Karen Johns (2001-05) into first place on Florida’s career wins list. But Walton, now 194-54 at Florida, deflected the credit of his accomplishment to the talent level of his roster.
“I’ve got good players,” Walton said. “That’s the bottom line. You don’t win games without good players. I thought our players have done a good job. Not only the players that were here before I got here but the players that I recruited and brought in. They’ve all bought into the system.”
Sophomore leadoff hitter Aja Paculba went 4-for-7 with a double, two runs scored and two stolen bases. She went 3-for-3 in the second game. Senior Ali Gardiner went 4-for-8 with three RBI in the two games.
Walton’s team again got a pair of sterling pitching performances from right-handers Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher, who each recorded their 10th shutout of the season. In the opening game, senior Nelson improved to 16-2 and lowered her ERA to 0.35 by striking out 11 and allowing just four hits. In the second game, sophomore Brombacher improved to 15-0 this season and 35-0 during her career with a two-hitter that included one walk and nine strikeouts. Her ERA dropped to 0.67.
It’s easy to see why the players have bought into a system that has produced the current winning streak and 101 wins since the start of last season. Especially now that Walton has encouraged his team to enjoy the moment and take time to let their accomplishments sink in.
“You could see it in the dugout (that we were playing with more personality today),” Walton said. “Even Tiffany DeFelice, who wasn’t going to play, she’s in there really backing up her teammates and high-fiving the pitchers, just doing the little things. I think that’s what we’ve got to understand.
“We practice so hard and prepare so hard that when you get into the game it’s all about having fun and enjoying the moment,” Walton continued. “When you get your hits, smile and enjoy it for a minute. If we’re down a little bit, hey, be a little bit more serious and be more focused. But when you do something well, let’s go ahead and smile, enjoy it and just savor the moment because it’s really hard to do.”
In the opener, Nelson preserved her shutout when she shoveled a bunt to catcher Kristina Hilberth in the third inning to prevent Tennessee from successfully executing a suicide squeeze that would have given the Volunteers (24-5, 2-2 SEC East) the lead. The momentum carried over into the bottom half of the inning when Brooks hit her back-breaking grand slam.
“There really wasn’t a lot of thinking going on by me,” Nelson said. “It really was kind of a blur and then I just woke up after she was called out. Good thing that worked.”
Considering the high-octane offenses that both teams possess, putting Tennessee’s chances on a suicide squeeze was an interesting decision.
“I didn’t know that today was going to be a 1-0 game either way, either direction,” Walton said. “I thought they had the ability to score a bunch of runs. We have the ability to score a bunch of runs. But that definitely was a huge momentum lift for us. Two-strike squeeze, which is even more impressive. But Stacey just stayed composed. It’s the second straight SEC series someone’s tried to squeeze on her and she’s just done a great job.”
Tennessee’s decision to try the suicide squeeze did not pay off, but Walton made a call of his own that paid dividends by moving Brooks to fifth in the lineup.
“I just flip a coin to be honest with you,” Walton said. “Tomorrow might be Megan (Bush)’s day. I’m just trying to find who’s hot and who’s doing what. Corrie responded in a big way in the five-hole today getting a bunch of RBI. I was really pleased with her at-bats throughout the day.”
Brooks was only 2-for-6 on the day but made both of her hits count as each went out of the park for a home run, giving her 5 RBI on the day. She credited her teammates, who worked deep into the count all game long, for giving her an opportunity to see the kind of pitches her opponent was throwing.
“It obviously wears down the pitcher because she has to throw so many pitches and it gets into her head saying, ‘They’re fouling off everything, so what can I throw? What are they not going to hit?’” Brooks said. “It helps me see that they’re getting into her head a little bit and see the batter in front of me is fouling everything off. It gives me a little more confidence knowing that I can do the same thing.”
Bush hit her eighth home run of the season in game two, bringing her into a three-way tie for most of the team with Francesca Enea and Kelsey Bruder.
The teams conclude their series Sunday at 1 p.m.