The Gators (20-0) outclassed their opponents on Saturday, winning both games of their doubleheader in dominating fashion on the second day of the Aquafina Invitational in at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Senior Kirsti Merritt fueled No. 1 Florida’s 9-0 win over South Alabama (10-7), going 4-for-5 with two bunt-hits and two RBIs.
Florida one-upped itself in its second game, as freshman Kelly Barnhill tossed a two-hit shutout in the Gators’ 10-0 showing against Florida International (11-8).
UF got off to a hot start, with five of its first six batters reaching base. The Gators got on the board, 1-0, when South Alabama pitcher Devin Brown pegged Taylore Fuller with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Then, Merritt earned her first RBI of the day with a bases-loaded single, putting the Gators up by two in the first inning.
South Alabama never caught up.
“Kirsti had a really nice day today, as she was hitting the ball to all fields,” coach Tim Walton said in a release. “(She) did a nice job hitting the ball to right field, left field, and she got some nice bunts down, too.”
Florida was up 6-0 by the end of the sixth and added three more runs in the seventh to shut the door on South Alabama.
Much of South Alabama’s struggle on offense can be credited to sophomore Aleshia Ocasio. She tossed a seven-inning shutout, striking out seven batters in the process.
Florida rolled through the second game against FIU. UF scored six runs in the first inning, two coming off the bat of sophomore Nicole DeWitt with her home run over the center-field fence.
Merritt then got her third RBI of the day, driving in freshman Amanda Lorenz with another single. A Kayli Kvistad two-RBI double drove Merritt in on the next play.
By the end of the third, Florida had a double-digit lead.
Barnhill stifled the FIU bats, allowing just six hitters to reach base over five innings. By the end of the game, the freshman had locked up her seventh win of the season.
“I thought both Aleshia and Kelly were both good,” Walton said. “Kelly worked ahead and mixed in a good change of speeds with good movement.
“I don’t think Aleshia had her best stuff today, but I do think she pitched well and used her defense when she had too.”
The Gators will close the invitational with two games on Sunday, first against Illinois State at 11:15 a.m. and then Florida A&M at 1:30 p.m.
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727
UF's Kirsti Merritt crosses home plate to score the lone run of the game in the eighth inning of Florida softball's 1-0 win against Florida Atlantic during the NCAA Regional finals on May 17, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
