It might not have been her favorite location, but Megan Bush sent the high-inside pitch packing.
The senior first baseman’s 17th home run of the season tied former Gator Francesca Enea’s SEC career record of 61 homers and sparked No. 10 Florida (32-7, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) to an 8-1 win over Arkansas (10-31, 1-17 SEC).
“Everyone’s been pointing it out, so it’s kind of a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Bush said. “It’s a nice thing to look back on when I’m done. I’m just glad that I got to make a mark here.”
After the offense regressed the past few weeks, the Gators rocked Razorbacks starter Kim Jones for seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits.
Once again, UF’s Nos. 1-5 hitters proved to be tough outs as Michelle Moultrie, Aja Paculba, Kelsey Bruder and Bush all had two hits apiece.
While UF coach Tim Walton has never talked about the record with Bush, her teammates have enjoyed watching the pursuit.
“We probably make fun of her, but it’s a huge accomplishment,” catcher Tiffany DeFelice said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing someone I’ve played with my whole career go after that record, and I really hope she breaks it.”
UF got another quality start from freshman Hannah Rogers, and Kelsey Bruder’s diving catch in foul territory and Brittany Schutte hustling for a triple were several “effort plays” that caught Walton’s eye.
Rogers limited the Razorbacks to one run on five hits and matched her career-high with 12 strikeouts.
The young righty said she focused on location during her pre-game bullpen session and was pleased with the way she executed all of her pitches.
