After an opening weekend that had a few rough patches, the third-ranked Florida Gators just needed to feel the home atmosphere to get into the groove they felt so many times last year. Coach Tim Walton’s Gators (4-1) didn’t experience many rough spots in their home opener as they put together a steady performance in beating Jacksonville 6-1 on Wednesday night.
Junior Stephanie Brombacher took the mound for the first time as Florida’s ace in front of the home crowd and delivered a two-hitter, allowing only one run and two walks while striking out nine batters. Winner of her first 42 games as a collegiate pitcher, Brombacher spent her first two years toiling in the shadow of Stacy Nelson, one of college softball’s all-time great pitchers.
The performance Wednesday night was a good sign just a few days after Brombacher gave up 11 runs in two games during Florida’s opening weekend in a tournament in Clearwater. She was happy with the improvement, but she didn’t walk away completely satisfied.
“I wish it had been a little bit better,” Brombacher said. “I was going for a shutout. But that’s okay. I pitched much better than I did this weekend.”
The most important facet of her performance was her composure as the game stretched into the later innings. In her first two starts of the season, Brombacher allowed all of her runs after the fourth inning. On Wednesday, Brombacher retired all nine batters she faced in the last three innings.
“I think she did a much better job,” Walton said. “You could see almost a little different breathing pattern in the sixth and seventh innings. This past weekend I think she was pressing, trying a little bit harder the third time through the lineup. Obviously she did a good job tonight really coming out and getting after it. Any time you’re going through some struggles late innings, most of the time it’s fatigue and mental fatigue, too. I just thought she was strong and finished well.”
It also helped that Brombacher got some early run support to help her buckle down and shut down the Dolphins.
“It’s a little bit easier because I can go out there and just get after the batters,” Brombacher said. “I know my defense is there. It gives me a little bit of breathing room.”
It also didn’t hurt that most of that breathing room came from the bat of one of her best friends, junior catcher Tiffany DeFelice, who went 3-3 with two home runs and two RBI.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Brombacher said when asked if she was happy seeing DeFelice crush two home runs. “She’s one of my best friends. I love to see her do well. I love to see everyone do well but especially her. We’ve been really close for a really long time.”
DeFelice’s first home run came in the bottom of the second, breaking a scoreless tie. The ball seemed headed for foul territory, but it curved just enough to hit off the foul pole to get the Gators on the board.
“I was trying to will it to go out,” DeFelice said. “I was running harder and faster, trying to will it out. I had a lot of doubt on that one.”
The next time she came up to bat, DeFelice decided not to take any chances, as she crushed a ball that bounced off the scoreboard to touch them all for the second time in the game.
Along with helping give Brombacher some breathing room, DeFelice was on a mission to erase her own memories of a rocky opening weekend that saw her go 2-12 from the plate. It’s safe to say the mission was accomplished.
“I think it was just a lot of frustration coming out from last weekend,” DeFelice said. “It was nice. I had a good day today.”
Florida also received run support from senior Francesca Enea, whose RBI single in the third that was immediately followed by junior Kelsey Bruder’s RBI double. Freshman Brittany Walker also added a sacrifice fly to tack on the final run.
The Gators also had some success running the bases against the Dolphins. Junior Aja Paculba and sophomores Michelle Moultrie and Lauren Heil all had a stolen base on the night.
Although the Gators took care of business and the outcome was never in doubt, they were not able to knock out the Dolphins and end the game early via run rule, something they did to many opponents last season.
But that may not actually be a bad thing for a young team that still needs time to gel. While last year’s team would be glad to put opponents out of their misery, this year’s version is definitely aware that in the extra time on the field will allow them to become as strong of a team as last year’s team in the long run.
“Every inning that we play through together as a team is going to make us better,” Brombacher said. “I wouldn’t say we’re a new team but a little bit of a new dynamic. So the more innings we get under our belts together, the better that we’re going to be.”
If the experience gained from the opening weekend to Wednesday night is any indication, the Gators are certainly on the right track.