Tim Walton didn't need his peanut butter and jelly sandwich this time.
As freshman Megan Bush rounded third base, Stacey Nelson pointed to home plate with a big, goofy grin. Thanks, Stacey, but it looked like she knew where it was. In the top of the ninth Bush hit a rocket shot over the right field fence to give Florida the lead for good 3-2. The Gators tacked on one more to make it 4-2, and then Nelson (nine innings, nine strikeouts, zero earned runs) closed it off in the bottom of the inning to send UF to the Women's College World Series for the first time ever.
The Gators swept the Bears 2-0 in a best of three series - and Walton didn't need his traditional PB&J that he has between double headers. If California had won the second game, the third would've been played right after.
As he walked off the field Walton, just in his third season, pointed his index finger signaling No. 1. So far so good.
"We were selling a dream a couple years ago," Walton said. "Talking about doing things the right way and not cutting any corners."
Before the final half inning, the entire team - a group that now holds the most wins in NCAA history with 67- came into a huddle as they were three potential pitches away from going where no UF squad had gone before.
"We were like, okay, let's dogpile after we get these three outs," Francesca Enea said.
And this isn't the usual course of action, either.
"We won a conference title, and they all say, 'Hey, where are we going to dinner?'" Walton said. "That was as close to a dogpile as we've ever done. That was as excited as I've ever seen them."
Cal's biggest blunder wasn't Bush's home run, but in the top of the third when Enea was stuck in a gun down between first and second and the Bears forgot about Kim Waleszonia at third, who skedaddled in for the first run of the game. Then Bears shortstop Taylor Kelly threw a bad ball to the second baseman and Enea was safe.
"When I was running to second I was like, 'Why isn't she throwing the ball (to home) yet?" Enea said "Then I saw the ball go away."
UF's first game of the WCWS will be Thursday against either Houston or Louisiana Lafayette.
Keep checking the Alligator the next few weeks as we bring you several features and the most up-to-date information on this historic run.
