No. 5 seed Florida outscored its opponents 29-0 in the regional round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
The Gators kept that momentum going into Super Regionals.
Behind a strong performance in the circle by Hannah Rogers and a seven-run fourth inning, Florida (49-11) took Game 1 against 12th-seeded Washington (36-14) 9-0 in five innings on Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Through 23 innings of NCAA play, the Gators have surrendered just 13 hits and opposition has yet to reach third base.
Rogers pitched her eighth complete-game shutout of the season and 37th of her career en route to her 25th win in 2014. The senior right-hander is one shutout away from tying Stephanie Brombacher for the second-most in UF history.
Rogers gave up just four hits in five innings while striking out five of the 21 batters she faced. The Lake Wales, Fla., native has gone 16 innings without giving up a run dating back to the fourth inning of Florida’s regular season finale against Arkansas on May 4.
While Rogers held Washington off the board, Florida had little trouble bringing in runs.
The Gators opened up scoring in the second with a two-out double by Aubree Munro down the left field line that scored Bailey Castro. The sophomore catcher went 3 for 3 on the day with two RBIs.
UF then brought its lead to 2-0 in the third when junior Bailey Castro was walked on four pitches by UW pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby with the bases loaded. Castro had two walks on the day to bring take the team lead with 40 on the year. The Pembroke Pines native also leads the team with 51 total free passes.
After building the small lead through the first three innings, Florida exploded in the fourth frame. Behind five hits and four free passes, the Gators plated seven runs to force the run rule. Shortstop Kathlyn Medina, who had a team-worst .216 batting average among regular starters heading into the contest, went 2 for 2 in the inning with a double and an RBI single.
Florida now needs to win just one game on Sunday against Washington to cinch to its sixth Women’s College World Series berth in seven years. The first game starts at noon, with a second game following if Washington comes away with a victory.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Hannah Rogers pitches during Florida’s 8-0 win against Indiana on Feb. 22 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
