Aubree Munro hadn’t recorded a hit since March 18.
Her batting average has plunged .74 points from .324 to .250 over that span.
But in the top of the second inning against Mississippi, the senior catcher belted her first home run of the season to left-center, ending an eight-game hitless drought that spanned twenty at-bats.
The hit gave No. 2 Florida an early 1-0 advantage and the Gators (36-3, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) never looked back en-route to an 8-0 run-rule victory over Ole Miss in the series opener on Friday night in Oxford.
“Aubree really led by example tonight and set the tone for us,” coach Tim Walton said in a release. “I thought Aubree ... hit the ball hard where it was pitched. That was the key tonight.”
The success of the Gators’ offense has often been rooted in the team’s ability to manufacture runs with an attack reliant on effective situational hitting. Heading into the weekend, Florida had been hitting .308 with runners in scoring position and accumulated a .326 average and 92 RBIs with two outs.
But Florida found its power on Friday.
Munro’s homer was the first in a series of four long balls that highlighted UF’s offensive onslaught against the Rebels (28-11, 4-6 SEC).
Solo shots from Kayli Kvistad and Amanda Lorenz in the third put Florida up 3-0.
In the fourth, Senior Kirsti Merritt hit a three-run blast — her sixth home run of the season — to widen the lead to 6-0.
A pair of runs in the top of the sixth capped UF’s scoring for the night.
“We hit the ball hard tonight and that was good to see,” Walton said.
After relinquishing two hits in the bottom of the first, Delanie Gourley (11-2) settled in, walking four and striking out seven over six shutout innings. The junior notched her fifth conference win as the Gators improved to 22-0 when scoring at least six runs.
The series continues Saturday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network +.
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Aubree Munro catches a ball during Florida's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
