Janell Wheaton notched a walk-off walk to seal the game for the Gators early Friday morning.
Janell Wheaton didn’t just walk to first base. She sprinted.
Victorious, the senior catcher raised two fists toward the sky and dashed through the bag and into the arms of UF assistant coach Aric Thomas. Moments later she was mobbed by her teammates, which emptied the dugout after Wheaton drew the game-winning walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.
No. 4 Florida walked-in its final two runs, ending No. 13 Texas A&M’s hopes of stealing the first game of the Gainesville Super Regional at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on a rainy Thursday night.
Fittingly, the 5-4 victory came on the very night the Gators (54-8) broke their single-season walk record. They’ve tallied 338 bases on balls in 2018, just 11 away from the NCAA record set by Auburn in 2016.
“I think that’s a feat in itself to be able to be as disciplined as we are,” coach Tim Walton said.
UF drew three walks in the last half-inning, but it started when TAMU pitcher Trinity Harrington struck out shortstop Sophia Reynoso. The Aggies starter had only given up four hits and one earned run at this point in the contest, but allowed a solo home run to left fielder Amanda Lorenz on the next at-bat. It ignited the Florida dugout and made the score 4-3.
However, the Gators wouldn’t get any further without a little luck and some shaky fielding by Texas A&M (43-17).
A ground out and a walk gave them a runner on first with two outs. Freshman Jordan Matthews stepped to the plate and chopped a 2-2 pitch to Aggies second baseman Kaitlyn Alderlink. Alderlink fielded and tossed the ball to teammate Kristen Cuyos, who bobbled it and fell off second base, allowing pinch runner Lily Mann to reach safely.
Cuyos, the TAMU shortstop, followed the errant play with another. UF right fielder Jaimie Hoover knocked a grounder right to her, but the slippery ball snuck through her legs and Florida loaded the bases.
Harrington tied the ballgame by allowing a walk to center fielder Aleshia Ocasio in the high-pressure situation. Aggies coach Jo Evans opted to replace Harrington with sophomore Payton McBride.
“With Gator nation being so loud, it was really hard to hear,” Wheaton said. “So I could just imagine how she (McBride) felt.”
The reliever worked Wheaton to a 3-2 count but threw the deciding pitch in the dirt.
The Florida deficit mounted after pitcher Kelly Barnhill walked three Texas A&M batters and hit another in the top of the third. TAMU took advantage by driving a 2-RBI single and advancing another runner home on a passed ball.
After UF pulled a run back in the bottom of the inning, Barnhill allowed a solo homer to Cuyos, which set the score at 4-1. But the junior right hander wouldn’t allow another baserunner.
Despite allowing three earned runs, she limited the Aggies to two hits and three walks while picking up eight strikeouts.
“She came back and did keep us in the ballgame and gave us a chance to win,” Walton said.
On a gate leading onto the field, there’s a sign that defines toughness. Walton echoed the definition when describing his team and Barnhill’s play while in a three-run hole.
“When it mattered the most, we played our best,” he said.
The first pitch of Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
You can follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mjstinejr and contact him at mstine@alligator.org
