Freshman Jaimie Hoover was the leadoff hitter in the top of the fourth inning for Florida.
And on the third pitch, Hoover sent the ball over the right-centerfield wall, capturing her third home run of the season. But at that point, it didn't matter.
The Gators had already scored once by the time Hoover hit her homer, and one run was all it took for No. 3 Florida to win 5-0 over Lehigh in the final day of the Citrus Classic on Sunday.
The scoring began in the first inning after a double by redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso was followed up with an RBI single from freshman Jordan Roberts.
It was Roberts’ 10th RBI and 11th hit on the season.
After the homer, the Gators added to their lead in a fifth inning that started off with a single and a stolen base by senior Justine McLean. Sophomore Amanda Lorenz hammered an RBI single to bring McLean home.
The hit by Lorenz extended her reached-base streak to 16. She's reached base safely in every game this season.
The final two runs of the game were scored in the seventh inning, one off an error from the Mountain Hawks.
Reynoso laid down an RBI bunt to bring home McLean, who led off the inning with her second single and stolen base of the game. But when junior Kayli Kvistad was hit by a pitch, a throwing error from Lehigh also allowed Reynoso to score.
Since their only loss to Maryland, Florida has outscored its opponents 39-1.
But Sunday’s win was also due, in part, to pitching from Kelly Barnhill and Delanie Gourley, who retired 15 straight batters.
Barnhill, a sophomore from Marietta, Georgia, tallied 11 strikeouts on the day. She allowed no hits and one walk.
And Gourley, who came on in relief in the fifth inning, allowed one hit in the matchup and notched four strikeouts. She earned her first save of the season.
The one hit allowed was a single to left-center field from Lehigh’s Ashley Cole in the bottom of the seventh inning.
It was the first combined one-hitter of the season for the Gators and their sixth shutout in their last seven games.
“I thought they both did a good job of getting ahead in the count and throwing quality pitches while being ahead in the count,” coach Tim Walton said in a press conference on Sunday.
“That was the key for not only being successful today but successful all weekend.”
Next, the Gators (15-1) will face the University of Iowa in Fullerton, California, for the Judi Garman Classic. It is the final tournament before SEC play begins.
Contact Cassie Amundson at camundson@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter @camundson_.
Sophomore Jaimie Hoover is 3-for-3 in regional play with seven RBIs and a home run. She had two RBIs in UF's 10-2 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.
