In the top of the third inning in a scoreless game against Jacksonville State, senior Kelsey Stewart stepped up to the plate.
A career .417 hitter heading into her final year, Stewart has been mired in an early-season slump, notching a meager four hits in 27 at-bats heading into Sunday.
But in her second at-bat against pitcher Faith Sims, she ripped a solo home run — her first of 2016 and one of her three hits and two RBIs on the day.
Bolstered by Stewart’s production, the No. 1 Gators (11-0) cruised to a 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Jacksonville State (5-5) to complete a five-game weekend sweep of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic tournament in Orlando.
"It was good to see Kelsey get going," coach Tim Walton said in a release.
"She got into one today and I like to see that. I just like that she gets on base because when she does it makes it really difficult for other teams. She creates a lot of havoc out there as she’s super fun to watch."
Fortunately for the Gators, Stewart’s hitting struggles at the top of the lineup have been masked by a collective offensive outburst.
Outscoring its opponents 90-4, Florida has a better plus-minus differential than last year’s team, which had defeated its opponents by a combined score of 87-10 through 11 games.
However, Sunday began quietly for the Gators’ offense through the first two innings.
Stewart’s home run to lead off the third opened the floodgates.
"I'll tell you what," Walton said, "she's been hitting the ball well."
After sophomore Nicole DeWitt walked, freshman center fielder Amanda Lorenz stroked an RBI double.
She then scored shortly after on a Janell Wheaton single to right field that put the Gators up 3-0.
One of Florida’s most consistent hitters, Lorenz went 8-for-13 with three RBIs and six runs scored in the tournament.
Florida continued its onslaught in the fourth, an inning that highlighted the Gators’ ability to score runs without the long ball.
In this frame, UF batted around, collected four hits and procured its third five-run inning of the weekend.
Following a leadoff bunt by junior Justine McLean, Stewart doubled into the gap in left-center. A single by DeWitt stretched the lead to 5-0.
Despite a pitching change by Jacksonville State, Florida’s lead ballooned to 8-0 after an ensuing bases-loaded single by Janell Wheaton and a wild pitch.
The Gators then added two more runs in the fifth to seal the win.
In the circle, sophomore Aleshia Ocasio earned her third win of the season after pitching four shutout innings and striking out six.
Florida next plays No. 8 UCLA at 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California.
"As we evaluate our whole weekend we have a few things to clean up," Walton said.
"I think the main thing is to get back and do the things we need to do to recover."
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Kelsey Stewart throws to first during UF's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
