Florida has been scoring more runs as of late, but Hannah Rogers didn’t need much support against Ole Miss.
The sophomore hurler threw her eighth complete-game shutout of the season, yielding just two hits and striking out six.
The two hits Rogers (19-2) allowed came in the fourth and seventh innings, respectively.
Despite an effective effort from their starting pitcher, the Gators’ plate performance has trended upward since a short dry spell last week.
After pushing just three runs across the plate in back-to-back losses to USF and Georgia, UF’s bats have come alive during its current four-game win streak.
The Gators (33-4, 13-2 Southeastern Conference) picked up a 5-0 victory against the Rebels (16-19, 3-9 SEC) on Friday night in Gainesville.
Downing Ole Miss earned Florida its 17th win of the season by a margin of five runs or greater.
The Gators put five runs on the scoreboard against the Rebels, but not all came from the bats.
Florida’s initial scoring resulted from solid base running by the top of coach Tim Walton’s lineup.
Leadoff hitter Michelle Moultrie, who leads Florida with a .522 on-base percentage, kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the third inning when she reached on an error.
The senior center fielder advanced to second on a passed ball before heading home on a Sami Fagan double for the first UF run.
After Fagan stole third, she scored on a wild pitch to make the score 2-0.
In the next inning, Kasey Fagan doubled the Gators’ advantage with a two-out, two-run single that scored Ensley Gammel and Kelsey Horton.
Bailey Castro had the best night at the dish, smacking a game-high two hits in three at-bats, including a home run in the sixth inning.
However, Castro never would have sent her fifth long ball of the season over the fence in right center had it not been for a misstep by Ole Miss catcher Marina Parra.
Rebels’ pitcher Kendall Bruning induced a pop-up from Castro behind the plate, but Parra misplayed the ball, keeping the Gators’ designated hitter in the batter’s box.
Castro then sent a Bruning offering over the fence in right center, opening up a 5-0 Florida lead heading into the top of the seventh inning.
