With wins over Virginia Tech and South Florida on Sunday, Florida put an exclamation point on its weekend at the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament.
The No. 1 Gators outscored their opponents 38-1, sweeping the competition to start the season 4-0. Florida run-ruled each team it played in six innings or fewer.
One day after defeating No. 2 Michigan, UF won both legs of its doubleheader against Virginia Tech and USF.
"We looked like a sharp team at times and did a good job overall of executing," UF coach Tim Walton said in a release.
"With that said, there is a lot of improvements we can and will make, but I just love the way we competed this weekend."
Aleshia Ocasio got the Gators off to a fast start, pitching an 8-0 shutout against Virginia Tech (1-4).
The sophomore threw a six-inning complete game, racking up seven strikeouts in the process.
Offensively, the Gators got on the board in the first inning when Janell Wheaton stepped up to the plate and hit a two-out, two-run single to put the Gators up 2-0.
Florida put its foot on the gas in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with no outs for a Kirsti Merritt RBI single, followed by a bases-clearing, 3-RBI double for freshman Amanda Lorenz to extend Florida's lead.
Sophomore Nicole DeWitt put the finishing touches on the win with an RBI-single to end the game by run rule in the sixth.
With the win, the Gators improved to 5-0 all time against Virginia Tech.
After blanking the Hokies, Florida fought off the Bulls 11-1 in the second game of its doubleheader.
Freshman Kelly Barnhill started in the circle for the Gators, one day after throwing a five-inning complete-game shutout against the No. 2 Wolverines.
Despite only allowing one hit, Barnhill didn’t go the whole game against the Bulls.
The Bulls scored the only run against Florida all weekend after USF second baseman Lindsey Devitt walked and advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches.
An RBI single and two hitters later, Walton put in junior Delanie Gourley to finish the game.
"The way Delanie Gourley came in relief today really set a tone for us," Walton said.
"Knowing that there isn't just one pitcher on this staff and that an opportunity for all three of them can arise in any game at any given time."
On offense, senior first-baseman Taylor Schwarz put her stamp on the game as she went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run home run to put the Gators up 6-0 in the third.
Not to be outdone, Wheaton also went yard, hitting a solo shot over the left-center fence to put Florida up 7-0 in the fourth inning.
The sophomore designated hitter finished the game 3-for-3 with five RBIs.
Florida will take the field again in its home-opener against Jacksonville at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
"Overall I liked the way we came out and competed this weekend," Walton said.
"We just played really hard and hardly made any mistakes, period."
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Taylor Schwarz hit Florida's first home run of the season in the third inning of the Gators' 11-1 win against USF in Tampa on Sunday.
