Alabama jumped out to an early lead over Florida and kept the Gators at arm's length for the remainder of the game, earning the 8-3 win in Saturday's series opener.
rolltide.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alabama jumped out to an early lead over Florida and kept the Gators at arm's length for the remainder of the game, earning the 8-3 win in Saturday's series opener.
Alabama (32-5, 9-4 SEC) out-hit Florida (30-8, 7-6 SEC) 12-4, with five players posting multi-hit performances including a season-high three hits from
Kaylee Tow and two-hit days from
Ashley Prange,
Ally Shipman,
Jenna Lord and
Kat Grill. Lord drove in four of the team's eight RBIs on a pair of two-run doubles, a season high in RBIs for the freshman.
Montana Fouts (16-2) went the distance in the circle, striking out 11 for her 10th game this season with double-digit Ks.
Each team went down in order in the first before the Crimson Tide loaded the bases in the top of the second when Lord pulled a double down the left field line to drive in two and give Alabama the first lead of the game. The Tide loaded the bases with one out again in the third and Tow drove the first pitch of her at-bat into shallow center, driving in a pair to make it 4-0 and then Lord followed with her second two-run double of the day two batters later to make it 6-0, forcing an early pitching change for Florida. A
Dallis Goodnight RBI single made it 7-0 before a fly ball ended the big inning.
After back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the fourth, Charla Echols broke up the no-hit bid and the shutout with an RBI single to get he Gators on the board. A double in the next at-bat fell into no-man's land to drive in another run and then a walk loaded the bases. A strikeout and flyout put two outs on the board before an infield single moved everyone up 60 feet to score a run, bringing it to 7-3 before a strikeout ended the inning.
A bases-loaded walk to Goodnight in the top of the sixth extended Alabama's lead to 8-3 and Fouts and the Tide defense did the rest, holding Florida scoreless over the remaining two frames to close out the win.
Highlights
- Alabama is now 44-39 all-time vs. Florida, including the last three meetings and a 22-13 mark in Gainesville
- The Tide is 25-3 this season when scoring first
- Alabama has scored six or more runs in eight of its last nine games
- Today was Jenna Lord's second multi-hit game of the season, driving in a season high four RBIs
- Ally Shipman extended her hitting streak to a season-best seven games, one shy of tying her career best set last season at Tennessee
- Kat Grill went 2-for-3, her second-straight multi hit game
- Today's start marked Montana Fouts' 10th game this season with double-digit Ks and the 38th of her career
- Ashley Prange extended her reached-base streak to 13 games and Dowling to 10 games
