TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Led by two home runs by senior third baseman Corrie Brooks, the sixth-ranked Florida Gators captured the weekend series 2-1 with an 11-9 win over fifth-ranked Alabama at the University of Alabama softball complex Sunday afternoon.
The two homers by Brooks were part of a four home-run barrage by the Gators (23-4, 6-2 SEC) as Florida took its sixth win in the last eight games over Alabama (24-9, 7-4 SEC). Freshman Ensley Gammel (4-0) pitched the final 1.1 innings to pick up the win, giving up two hits, one run and zero walks while striking out one. Stephanie Brombacher went the first 5.1 innings, allowing nine hits, eight runs, four earned, four walks and striking out one.
Alabama used three different pitchers as Amanda Locke (3-2) shouldered the loss. Kelsi Dunne made the start and pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one hit, four runs (two earned), four walks and struck out five. Locke pitched 2.1 innings, allowing four hits, two runs and struck out one.
Brooks hit her fifth career grand slam in the third, Florida’s fifth grand slam off Alabama pitching in the last three years. Brooks hit the game-winner in the top of the seventh with the game tied 9-9. Brooks was the fifth Gator to go out of the yard twice in a game and it marked the seventh time this season that it has happened.
Junior Megan Bush extended her career-long hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the sixth inning while Brooks and junior Tiffany DeFelice each went 2-3. Brooks had a team-high five RBIs.
Senior Francesca Enea started the Gators off early with a solo home run to dead center field with two outs in the first, her 14th of the season and 55th of her Florida career. Enea is within five of the Southeastern Conference all-time record held by Alabama’s Kelly Kretschman (1998-01).
Alabama regained the lead in the bottom of the inning as Kayla Braud led off with a double to right center. With one down, Brombacher walked Charlotte Morgan and both runners advanced on an illegal pitch.
Brombacher forced the next batter to line out, but the tying run came in when Alex Blewitt reached first on Brombacher’s fielding error and Braud crossed the plate. Jazlyn Lunceford then gave the Tide a 4-1 lead with a three-run homer to right before Brombacher got the final out swinging to end the inning.
The Gators tied the game in the second with patience at the plate and a key Bama error. Dunne walked four batters, forcing in a Gator run in to cut the lead to two and chasing the UA righty from the game. Morgan came in to replace her. With two down, Kelsey Bruder hit a high fly ball right off the infield grass that left fielder Lunceford dropped, allowing DeFelice and Brooks to score to tie the game at 4-4.
After a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, Brooks put the Gators back on top with one swing of the bat with her first grand slam of the season. A walk to Brittany Schutte and singles by Michelle Moultrie and DeFelice loaded the bases for Brooks, who was hitless in the last nine games. The third baseman launched her homer just inside the left-field foul pole to give the Gators an 8-4 lead.
The Tide got one back in the bottom of the inning as Cassie Reilly-Boccia led off with a double to right and then moved to third on an illegal pitch. After Brombacher walked Morgan and forced a ground out, Blewitt singled up the middle to score Reilly-Boccia but was thrown out trying to advance to second. Brombacher forced the final batter to ground out to end the inning and the Tide scoring threat.
Florida increased the lead to 9-5 when Enea led off the fourth with a walk and advanced to second when Moultrie’s grounder to short was booted by Whitney Larsen. DeFelice followed with a bloop single to left that scored Enea. That chased Morgan from the game and brought on Locke who got Brooks swinging to end the inning.
The Tide threatened in the fourth, but stellar Gator defense kept Alabama off the board. Locke and Kendall Dawson hit back-to-back singles to center to start the inning but Jennifer Fenton hit a comebacker to Brombacher, who got the force at third. Braud singled up the middle, but Moultrie threw out Dawson who was trying to score from second. Reilly-Boccia ended the inning when she tapped back to Brombacher.
Alabama tied the game in the sixth when Braud hit a three-run homer. One run scored on back-to-back doubles by Lunceford and Locke. One out later, pinch-hitter Lauren Sewell walked and Gammel came in to pinch to Braud, who tied the game with a three-run shot to right center. Gammel settled down and forced Reilly-Boccia and Morgan to ground out to keep it a tie game.
In the top of the seventh, Brooks launched her second homer of the game over the right field wall and freshman Samantha Holle followed with a home run over the center field wall to give the Gators an 11-9 lead. Dunne reentered and retired the three UF batters she saw but Florida had already done the damage.
Gammel pitched her way out of one-out, two on jam in the seventh when she got Locke to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to preserve the win.
Florida returns to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Gators travel to Orlando to take on UCF.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Overall
EASTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
Florida 6-2 .750 23-4 .845
Tennessee 7-3 .700 25-7 .786
Georgia 5-4 .556 24-6 .793
Kentucky 5-8 .385 20-14.606
South Carolina 0-13 .000 10-22.323
WESTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
Louisiana State 8-0 1.000 28-4 .875
Arkansas 6-2 .750 21-11 .656
Alabama 7-4 .736 24-9 .727
Auburn 5-6 .454 19-12 .613
Mississippi 5-7 .417 18-15 .545
Mississippi State 2-7 .222 19-16 .543
RESULTS
SUNDAY / March 28
Florida 11, Alabama 9
Georgia 17, Kentucky 5
Arkansas 18, Mississippi State 13
Auburn 11, South Carolina 3
Mississippi at Tennessee, canceled
SATURDAY / March 27
Alabama 10-5, Florida 4-7
Tennessee 3-6, Mississippi 2-3
Auburn 4-5, South Carolina 1-3
Georgia 4-2, Kentucky 2-4
Arkansas 7-11, Mississippi State 2-6
SCHEDULE
All times Eastern
TUESDAY / March 30
South Carolina at North Carolina, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY / March 31
Alcorn State at Mississippi (2), 4 p.m.
Arkansas at Tulsa (2), 5 p.m.
Kennesaw State at Georgia, 5 p.m.
Southern at Mississippi State, 5 p.m.
Middle Tennessee at Tennessee, 6 p.m.
Florida at UCF, 7 p.m.
Troy at Auburn, 7 p.m.
Louisiana State at McNeese State, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY / April 2
Arkansas at Georgia (2), 5 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi State (2), 5 p.m.
Tennessee at South Carolina, 5 p.m.
Alabama at Auburn, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY / April 3
Arkansas at Georgia, 12 p.m.
Louisiana State at Florida (2), 1 p.m.
Tennessee at South Carolina (2), 1 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi State, 1 p.m.
Alabama at Auburn (2), 2 p.m.
SUNDAY / April 4
Louisiana State at Florida, 12 p.m.