All
week, Gators head coach Tim Walton stressed his team was focusing
on Bethune-Cookman despite defending national champion UCLA also
coming to Gainesville for this weekend's NCAA Regional.
But after Friday's five-inning 8-0 victory over the Wildcats
(33-25), the coach retracted his stance a bit.
"I'd be lying to you to say we haven't been preparing for UCLA," he
said. "We have."
But any advanced preparation for the Bruins certainly didn't cause
the Gators to overlook their matchup with the Wildcats.
Florida (48-9) set the pace early, plating two runs before pitcher
Allison Garcia even recorded her second out.
A pair of underclassmen led the way as Brittany Schutte and
Cheyenne Coyle each picked up two RBIs in the first inning.
With a renewed emphasis on short game, the Gators scored their
first six runs without the assistance of a homer.
"We're trying to initiate a different type of formula going into
postseason for run production," Walton said.
Of course, the UF lineup didn't cruise to its 17th run-rule victory
of the season without a cameo from its signature power.
Freshman slugger Coyle nabbed her third RBI of the game with a solo
homer in the fifth.
After working the count full, the shortstop blasted a shot to
left-center that Wildcats outfielders could only watch.
"She's your typical Florida player that coach Walton keeps bringing
in here," Bethune-Cookman coach Chris Cochran said of Coyle.
As for her team's approach at the plate, Cochran said her batters
made Stephanie Brombacher's job easy by swinging at pitches off the
plate.
"I kind of saw that from last year when I pitched against them, so
we kind of knew that going in to today that they were aggressive,"
the Gators ace said.
Brombacher (18-2) worked Wildcats batters outside of the strike
zone, minimizing her workload and completing the game in 69 pitches
- her first victory since April 30.
"To be honest with you, I thought she's pitched better in the last
month," Walton said. "She was good, not great."
In the other dugout, Garcia's pitch count exploded due to patient
at-bats from UF hitters. The senior right-hander was over 100
pitches after a 42-pitch third inning and finished her four innings
of work at 129.
Other big offensive contributors for the Gators included Michelle
Moultrie and Megan Bush, who broke out of a six-game hitless slide
going 1-for-2 with a walk.
Florida continues regional play against UCLA Saturday at 1 p.m. The
Bruins narrowly beat Jacksonville 2-0 in their opener Friday.
