After three mediocre starts against Mississippi State and Kentucky, Hannah Rogers had something to prove.
The junior right-hander had surrendered 11 earned runs in her three previous games, including a five-run inning against the Bulldogs on April 7. But Rogers put any doubts to rest in No. 3 Florida’s 8-0 run-rule victory against Longwood on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Rogers completed the No. 3 Gators’ (45-5, 14-4 Southeastern Conference) sweep of the Lancers (33-14, 13-5 Big South Conference) with six hitless innings.
“It was exciting,” Rogers said. “I just felt like all my pitches were working. … The past couple weeks, I’ve just been struggling a bit with some of my pitches.”
Rogers had one of her best outings of the season on Sunday, striking out eight in six innings without walking a batter.
The lone blemish on Rogers’ line came in the third inning when Longwood center fielder Katie Shinrock reached base on an error by shortstop Katie Medina. The error was the only thing separating Rogers from her first career perfect game.
“I think she was a quick runner,” Rogers said. “I went up to Katie and told her, ‘Thank you for taking the error for me.’ If she would have got the ball, she might have had a chance to beat it out, and then they could have got a hit.”
Rogers otherwise silenced a lineup that had three batters hitting over .400 coming into the weekend, including catcher Megan Baltzell, who leads the NCAA with 23 home runs.
“Longwood’s got a good swinging team,” coach Tim Walton said. “They can hit the ball.”
The top three hitters in the Lancers’ lineup — Kori Nishitomi, Baltzell and Brooke Short — went 5 for 27 over the weekend. Against Rogers, the trio went 2 for 16.
Roger’s no-hitter came just a day after she dominated the Lancers in a complete-game victory in the series opener. On Saturday, Rogers allowed a run while striking out 11 in the Gators’ 5-1 win.
Rogers commanded her pitches well against Longwood, striking out 19 batters in her two games without issuing a free pass.
The no-hitter was Roger’s second of the year. The first came in Florida’s 9-1 win against Mississippi State on April 5. Rogers’ first no-hitter was also a six-inning game. She also contributed to UF’s combined perfect game against Presbyterian on March 3.
The last time a Florida pitcher threw two solo no-hitters was Stacey Nelson, who held against Arkansas and Ole Miss hitless in 2009.
But while the Lancers struggled to get the bat on the ball, the Gators’ bats came alive, scoring 22 runs in the series.
Third baseman Stephanie Tofft led the offensive barrage, going 8 for 10 at the plate with three home runs, two doubles and a triple. The junior drove in nine runs during the weekend, raising her batting average from .282 to .319, the second-highest on the team.
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this,” Tofft said.
Added Walton: “I haven’t seen a hitter have a week like that.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Junior Hannah Rogers waits in the circle during Florida’s 4-2 win against Mississippi State on April 6 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Rogers threw 288 pitches in 15 innings of work in the Southeastern Conference Tournament last weekend.
