A seventh-inning rally could not put No. 1 Florida over LSU on Saturday.
Heading into the final frame down 3-0, senior third baseman Stephanie Tofft hit a 2-run home run to center field to cut UF’s deficit to one.
But the Tigers (18-2, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) held off the Gators (27-2, 3-2 SEC) late to preserve a 3-2 win in Game 2 of the series.
Florida’s defense has given up 19 hits over the past two games against LSU. Prior to the SEC road series in Tiger Park, the Gators had given up only 3.7 hits per game.
LSU second baseman paved the way for the Tigers, going 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI double to open up scoring in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
Florida failed to execute on several occasions, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine runners.
“We’ve just got to get on base and give [ourselves] as many opportunities to score in possible,” coach Tim Walton said in a release. “We’ve just got to get a clutch hit.”
In the circle, senior Hannah Rogers accrued her second loss of the season after giving up three earned runs and a season high nine hits. The Lake Wales native only struck out two of the 28 batters she faced on Saturday.
The Gators will try to clinch their first road series on Sunday when they play Game 3 against the Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m. Heading into the final match against LSU, Walton hopes to see all-around improvement.
“We’ve got to pitch better,” he said. “We’ve got to hit better. We’ve got to be more aggressive. We’ve got to execute and be productive. That’s the key; our outs have to be more productive than they are. But I think in all phases—we’ve got to pitch better, we’ve got to hit better, we’ve got to play better and we’ve got to be more clutch.”
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
