When an offense is as explosive as the Gators', a sub-.320 batting average will land you in the seventh spot of the lineup.
Freshman Tiffany DeFelice has been slumping lately after being moved into the heart of UF's batting order.
"I'm pretty hard on myself about that kind of stuff, when it comes to not hitting," DeFelice said. "I was a little disappointed with myself over the past few weeks."
After being moved to seventh for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against FSU (32-21, 8-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), she showed why she is still one of the No. 3 Gators' (48-2, 18-1 Southeastern Conference) biggest offensive weapons.
Against FSU ace Tiffany McDonald, DeFelice went 2 for 3 with an RBI double over the left fielder's head.
"I'm not really sure (what I was doing differently)," she said. "I went up with a little bit of a clearer head."
In the second game, she was moved to sixth in the order and responded by stuffing the stat sheet in Nick Calathes-like fashion.
Her final line read 1 for 2 with a walk, two runs scored and a team-high four RBIs.
After the game, she was quick to say she didn't mind being moved down in the order.
"I'm totally cool with batting down there," DeFelice said. "I don't care where I'm hitting."
The tremendous performance by DeFelice raised her average to .330 on the season - fourth among everyday Gators players - and helped set the tone for two UF wins.
In the first game, junior Stacey Nelson was lights out as she outdueled McDonald in a 6-1 decision.
After striking out just one hitter in her last outing against Georgia, Nelson struck out nine FSU batters while allowing one run in a complete game performance.
"I was able to use my screwball today, especially against the lefties," she said.
Nelson got a rare game off in the nightcap when the Gators' offense exploded inside JoAnne Graf Field.
Junior Ali Gardiner, sophomore Francesca Enea and senior Mary Ratliff all had multi-hit games on the way to a 14-4, five-inning victory.
The Gators logged 13 hits and 13 runs against FSU's No. 2 starter Terese Gober before chasing her from the game after four innings of work.
"I think our team is hitting pretty well right now," DeFelice said. "A lot of people are making good contact."
UF coach Tim Walton pointed to the team's ability to hit the ball up the middle and not try to pull the ball against two solid pitchers as the reason for the offense's success.
Freshman Stephanie Brombacher got the win and ran her record to 15-0 despite giving up eight hits in five innings.
"She did good. I don't feel like the score reflected how she was pitching," Nelson said.
While the Gators handled the rival Seminoles with relative ease, Walton laughed at the idea of the Seminoles being a let up in the tough SEC slate.
"There was no break. We haven't had a break in a long, long time," he said. "It's an in-state rivalry. People put a lot of stock into those games."
