If the Gators softball team is looking to build on last year's success, they will need a lot more games like the ones they played this weekend.
UF outscored Santa Fe College 17-3 in two games Sunday, winning both games of the doubleheader at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
"We definitely came out better than we have in the past games," left fielder Francesca Enea said. "Today really showed what type of team we're going to be this season."
The Gators scored early and often against the Saints, getting two quick runs in the first inning of Game 1 before sophomore Aja Paculba nailed a two-run homer down the left field line.
The real offensive explosion came in Game 2, when the Gators went off for 13 runs against four SFC pitchers, including an eight-run fifth inning in which they faced three different pitchers.
The Gators also took both games of a doubleheader against North Georgia College and State University Saturday. They weren't able to secure the Game 1 victory until the bottom of the seventh inning, when sophomore Kristine Priebe entered the game as a pinch hitter and drove in Kelsey Bruder and Megan Bush, giving UF the 2-0 win.
Game 2 was not nearly as close, as the Gators cruised to an 8-1 win behind solid pitching from Stephanie Brombacher and Stacey Nelson, who struck out 13 batters in her seven innings of work Saturday. Brombacher only gave up two hits on the day.
BROMBACHER AT THE PLATE: In addition to pitching 14 innings during the weekend, Brombacher took her first at-bat since last fall, flying out to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 2 against NGCSU. She said she's definitely hoping to get more attempts at the plate as the season progresses.
"I hit for my high school team, and I hit last fall," Brombacher added. "But some things happened and I got hurt, so I couldn't hit."
Walton said she will remain the team's No. 2 pitcher but will get more chances at the plate if she proves she can handle it.
"Eventually we'll have to make a decision on what she'll do there, and it'll probably be more her decision than it will be mine," he said. "She's going to have to decide if hitting's what she wants to do, or if she just wants to focus on pitching."
INJURY UPDATE: Shaunice Harris and Tiffany DeFelice sat out of both doubleheaders this weekend, and they will miss the final fall game on Nov. 13 against Chipola College.
Harris did not play last season after tearing her ACL early last season, and DeFelice is still recovering from off-season surgery.
