2009 Florida Gators Softball Season - Game Notes - Texas A&M (NCAA Gainesville Regional - Game 3)

Game 3)

The Gators won game two of the Gainesville Regional behind 14 strike outs from Stacey Nelson, stellar defense, and timing hitting. Florida scored single runs in each of the first two innings on a Kelsey Bruder two-out RBI single that scored Kristina Hilberth, who doubled, and an Aja Paculba two-out RBI single that scored Megan Bush, who doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice.

Texas A&M was aggressive on the base paths, leading to two pick-offs. In the top of the second, after Rhiannon Kliesing doubled and Bailey Scroeder struck out, Alex Reynolds singled to shallow left field. Kliesing tried to take third on the play, but Francesca Enea threw a strike to Corrie Brooks, who got the tag in plenty of time. In the top half of the third, Natalie Villareal led off with a single. Macie Morrow singled to right in the next at-bat, and Villareal went to third on the play; right fielder Kim Waleszonia threw the ball to third trying to get Villareal, but the throw was not in-time. Brooks quickly threw back to second, and Bush, who was covering, got the tag on Morrow. Texas A&M did score in the fifth on back-to-back doubles from Villareal and Morrow.

Florida immediately responded in the bottom of the inning. Paculba started things off with a single, and Hilberth reached on a fielder's choice in which they failed to get Paculba in time. Enea double with one out to score Paculba and move Hilberth to third. Bruder brought in Hilberth on a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Florida scored three more times in the bottom of the sixth thanks to missed assignments defensively by the Aggies. Tiffany DeFelice hit a one-out single, and Le-Net Franklin came in to pinch run for her. Michelle Moultrie laid down a bunt that spun around the batter's box, but never went foul. The Aggie first baseman came in to cover the bunt, and no one went to cover first, so when the catcher finally picked up the ball and threw there, it rolled into right field. Moultrie stayed on first until she realized that no one was covering second anymore, and Franklin went home from third because the right fielder inexplicably held onto the ball. Hilberth singled again and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs, and both were brought home on Ali Gardiner's first hit of the weekend in the Gator's next at-bat, a 2-RBI single that put Florida ahead by the final margin, 7-1.