Senior Aleshia Ocasio torched Ohio State for a no-hitter on Sunday evening.
As a Gatorade shower rushed down the spine of UF pitcher Aleshia Ocasio, many of her teammates led the crowd at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in the Gator Chomp.
The senior from St. Cloud, Florida, completed a no-hitter and helped the No. 4 Gators advance to the NCAA Super Regionals with a 4-0 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes Sunday night.
Ocasio forced 13 ground balls and struck out 12 batters, retiring nine on strikes between the third and sixth innings. She only relinquished three walks and also chipped in offensively with two RBIs.
“As a former pitcher I love the fact that (Ocasio) can do all things.” Ohio State coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said. “I think she’s one of the best players in the country. Her off-speed was devastating at times.”
A plate-disciplined offense that drew 15 free passes from OSU pitcher Shelby McCombs, complimented the stifling Florida defense. The Gators combined for 11 walks and four hit-by-pitches off the Buckeyes’ senior, who didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning.
However, reaching base early and often was enough for UF to get on the scoreboard in the top of the first. McCombs plunked Ocasio to conclude an 11-pitch plate appearance with two outs to load the bases. The next batter, second baseman Hannah Adams, picked up an RBI after looking at four-straight balls.
The Gators wouldn’t plate another run until the top of the fifth.
McCombs walked first baseman Kayli Kvistad and designated player Jordan Matthews to start the inning. A passed ball allowed the runners to take second and third. Pinch runner Alex Voss scored when Ocasio grounded into a fielder’s choice.
A leadoff triple by right fielder Jaimie Hoover in the sixth followed by an RBI-double by left fielder Amanda Lorenz were UF’s only two hits on Sunday. Florida batted 0.091 as a team and hit 1-12 with runners in scoring position.
Yet, Lorenz touched home plate courtesy of an Ocasio sacrifice fly and the Gators inflated their lead to 4-0.
UF coach Tim Walton was pleased with his team’s patience at the plate.
“I thought the at-bats were good,” Walton said. “ Hoover once again gets us sparked up and ready to go, and (Lorenz) gets the third RBI so that was really clutch.”
Florida will host Texas A&M next weekend for an NCAA Super Regional. This is the 11th time in program history that the Gators claimed a regional title.
You can follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
