No. 1 Florida matched its best start in school history on Sunday.
With a 3-0 win over Southeastern Conference rival No. 16 Tennessee, the Gators (30-1, 5-1 SEC) became the first SEC team to sweep the Volunteers (21-8, 3-3 SEC) since UF took three games from them in 2011.
Florida relied heavily on two upperclassmen leaders in junior Delanie Gourley from the pitcher’s circle and senior Kelsey Stewart from the batter’s box.
Gourley tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout, while Stewart went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
"This conference is so hard, and to sweep a team — it’s a great feeling," Gourley said. "But, you know, our whole team has to contribute, and that’s what we did, and it was a great turnout."
After a pair of scoreless innings, Stewart cracked the game open in the third. The senior reached on an infield hit after beating out a bouncing ground ball.
She then stole second base before her classmate, senior Kirsti Merritt, moved her over to third with a ground out. Stewart finished her trip around the bases by taking home plate on a passed ball.
After going three-up, three-down in the bottom of the fourth, Florida’s offense tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth driven in by Stewart.
Nicole DeWitt led off the inning with an infield single to the pitcher.
On the next at-bat, Justine McLean’s ground ball to third base caused a bad throw at first base. McLean reached safely on the error and moved DeWitt over to third.
After McLean stole second base, Stewart strolled to the plate and ripped a grounder past the glove of the outstretched Tennessee second baseman. Both runners scored, letting Florida solidify its 3-0 lead.
"They’re a very good pitching staff," Stewart said. "They had great pitches. I never knew what was coming at me. So it was really just keeping your mindset, not thinking what’s coming, and just reacting."
Stewart had three of the Gators’ five hits and has been rolling recently. Just this week, she upped her batting average more than 40 points, from .305 to .347.
"(On Saturday) we talked to coach, made little adjustments that I needed to do. (It) didn’t matter what pitcher was in today," Stewart said. "I had adjustments that I know I needed to make personally for my own swing, and I just did it and it came together."
Gourley gave up just one hit and one walk in seven innings, striking out eight Volunteers in the process and lowering her ERA to 0.86.
"That might be the best I’ve seen her against a top-20 team," coach Tim Walton said. "Really electric rise ball, and a really good curveball location-wise and a good offspeed pitch. I thought she did a good job."
The Gators’ pitching staff gave up just seven hits to Tennessee over the three-game series.
"I was excited to throw," Gourley said. "I haven’t thrown to (Tennessee) I think since my freshman year. So I was ready."
That staff will look to lead Florida to another series win in Baton Rouge when the Gators take on No. 4 LSU. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 5 p.m.
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Kelsey Stewart bats during Florida's doubleheader sweep against Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
