Cheyenne Lindsey swung a hard hit to right field and up over the fence to then prance the bases. She ran home Hannah Adams and bolstered the Gators scoreboard with a two-point advantage.
The Gators silenced FGCU in a fast 3-0 win Wednesday in Fort Myers, Florida, and brought the all-time series 6-1 against the Eagles.
It’s safe to say the Gators bounced back from their Alabama letdown Sunday.
Florida boasted a strong defensive core throughout the battle and exceeded Eagles’ gameplay, especially Adams.
The infielder tracked a strong FGCU hit to second base as she dove to rescue the out. Adams ended the third inning with the powerful play and killed the small seed of an Eagles comeback. She charged the defense from the beginning and recorded the first two Eagles outs with two ground ball catches to second base.
Adams proved to be a top-10 SEC player. The senior took her skill to the plate in the sixth inning as she ran a single from a strategic bunt close to home base.
Lindsey poached a bunt right after and sacrificed an out to run Adam to second base. The junior played a vital position on the offense as she gave Florida two of its three points for the night.
Junior Charla Echols pulled through another game on the offense. She drilled a hit to right field to open the fourth inning and snagged a double. The wrath of FGCU pitcher Marissa Mesiemore retired freshman Emily Wilkie and the inning, however.
Jordan Matthews also saw success on the offense. While the senior didn’t run in a point, she swung a pinch hit and ran freshman Katie Kistler to third base, who ran home a play later due to Jaimie Hoover.
Senior Natalie Lugo faced the Eagles batters for the first five innings and displayed her prowess on the No. 3 Florida team. She started her 13th game of the season and whipped in a scary 1.34 ERA.
Katie Chronister got her time on the mound in the fifth and sixth inning and set a respectable 2.06 ERA. The fifth year pitched two strikeouts and four saves and closed the Eagles’ window of opportunity in the seventh.
The Gators didn’t see much action again until the tail end of the game, however.
FGCU grew timid in the seventh and put Emily Estroff on the pitchers mound after they rotated three other pitchers. Estroff usually played second and third base.
The game mirrors the 3-1 Gators win against FGCU in March 2020.Head coach Tim Walton also clinched his 950th Gators softball win in his 16-year tenure.
The Gators wind up for a three-game home series against South Carolina Friday-Sunday. The games will stream on ESPN+.
Contact Faith Buckley at fbuckley@alligator.org and follow her Twitter @_faithbuckley
Faith is a third-year journalism student specializing in sports media. She hopes to one day work as a play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League.
