Aleshia Ocasio was dominant on Saturday.
She turned in one of her best performances of the season, even taking into account her no-hitter against Jacksonville on Feb. 17.
Behind her dominant outing, No. 1 Florida concluded its sweep of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and remained undefeated, improving to 16-0 with a 1-0 victory over Utah (10-5).
Ocasio struck out six, gave up just one hit and didn’t allow a walk over six overpowering innings in which she retired 18 consecutive batters after relinquishing a leadoff single.
Matching Ocasio’s brilliance, Utah starting pitcher Miranda Viramontes also had a strong performance, only allowing the Gators to score one run despite eight hits.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Florida was finally able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity despite having runners on base in every previous inning.
After sophomore Nicole DeWitt hit a single with one out, freshman Amanda Lorenz drew a walk. Cleanup hitter Janell Wheaton then singled to right field, driving in DeWitt to add to her team-leading 19 RBIs.
“It’s nice to be able to lean on someone who’s hitting like that in the middle of your lineup,” coach Tim Walton said in a release.
“When we get runners on for her, she just seems to continue to deliver.”
Florida has now outscored its opponents 109-8 on the season, a smaller run differential than the 121-run margin the 2015 squad — which was also undefeated — had through 16 games.
It’s testament to the defensive efficiency and pitching prowess of this year’s team, which boasts a .987 fielding percentage and 0.52 earned run average.
“If you would’ve told me that we were going to be 16-0 after our first three weekends of the season,” Walton said, “I would’ve said that it’s going to take outstanding pitching and great defense, which is exactly what we’ve gotten.”
Florida returns home from California for a matchup against Illinois State on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Aleshia Ocasio pitches in the first game of Florida's doubleheader against Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
