Amanda Lorenz stepped off the bus in College Station, Texas, with six home runs in her freshman season and four since April 8.
But hitting a home run is one thing.
Hitting your first career grand slam on an 0-2 pitch against a top-ranked Southeastern Conference rival to put the series-opener out of reach is another.
Her bases-clearing homer drove in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th runs of No. 1 Florida’s sixth-inning rally in its commanding and convincing 14-3 win over No. 18 Texas A&M on Friday.
“Getting the fourth run of the game was huge, and being able to throw up 10 runs in the sixth was great as well,” coach Tim Walton said in a release.
“I was really working hard over to scratch and claw to get us some more runs. I didn’t think four was enough, as Texas A&M has a great offense.”
Neither team scored in the first, but Gators’ pitcher Delanie Gourley got off to a quick start. The junior southpaw retired her first batter after one pitch and went on to throw three innings and four strikeouts before letting a batter reach base.
Florida’s (46-3, 16-3 SEC) offense struck in the second inning after Janell Wheaton was hit by a pitch and maneuvered her way around the basepath to third via an error on a fielder’s choice. Wheaton put UF up 1-0 after scoring on a throwing error by the Texas A&M catcher as junior Justine McLean stole second.
Wheaton helped Florida tack on three more runs in the top of the third. The sophomore hit a double to centerfield to drive in two more runs before she scored on a base hit by Taylore Fuller.
Texas A&M (34-14, 6-12 SEC) slowly began to pull itself back into the contest.
In the fourth, the Aggies pulled within two runs after a leadoff single and an ensuing throwing error from Gourley.
A fifth-inning home run from Aggie freshman Samantha Show cut Florida’s lead to 4-3.
But just as Texas A&M came close, Florida’s bats caught fire.
The 10-run rally in the top of the sixth started with Kirsti Merritt and Nicole DeWitt stringing a couple singles together to go up 6-3. A two-RBI single from catcher Aubree Munro and an RBI double from sophomore Aleshia Ocasio, a UF pitcher with just 10 at-bats on the year, followed. A bases-loaded walk put the Gators up 10-3, and Lorenz’s home run sealed the deal.
After her hit, Ocasio closed the game out in the bottom of the sixth because of the eight-run rule.
“Both of our pitchers did a great job,” Walton said, saying Ocasio specifically changed the game’s momentum when she came in.
With the win, UF reached a 16-3 SEC record, its best mark since 2012.
UF will play Game 2 of its series with the Aggies at 1 p.m. in College Station, Texas.
Amanda Lorenz prepares to hit a ball during Florida's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
