Florida Softball Defeats UCF in Pitcher’s Duel

Pitcher Aleshia Ocasio high-fives catcher Aubree Munro after the game

Freshman Aleshia Ocasio adds another strong start to her college resume as the top ranked Florida softball team beats the 15th ranked UCF Golden Knights, 2-1 Wednesday in Gainesville. The Gators now lead the all-time series 16-3.

Ocasio moved to 5-0 on the year, adding eight more strikeouts to bring her up to 49 on the year in just 35.2 innings. She has started four times this year in the circle, and each time she has finished the game. Ocasio accredits the help of her team to her fast start.

“My team has been doing a great job in helping me getting adjusted to the collegiate level. It’s been great,” she said.

It was a slow night for the Gator offense. Shelby Turnier of UCF pitched well in the loss. The first run to cross the plate for Florida was when Kirsti Merritt hit a double, and then scoring on two illegal pitches by Turnier. One inning later, sophomore Kelsey Stewart drove in junior Taylor Schwarz with a RBI double. Stewart had struck out in her previous two at-bats and had to make adjustments.

“I was just trying to make solid contact, just score the run. Really I did not make my adjustments as well as I should in my first two at-bats. So I had to talk to coach and other girls in the dugout and I made a better adjustment.”

Now, Florida travels to California to compete in the San Diego Classic (Feb. 27-Mar. 1) and the Judi Garman Classic (Mar. 5-Mar. 7). They will also be facing Long Beach State on March 4. Some of the teams the Gators will be facing are second ranked Oregon, third ranked Michigan and number 15 Arizona. Florida coach Tim Walton believes there is still room for improvement for his team.

“We got to get better. You saw tonight, facing a good pitcher with too many swing and misses. Way too many really big unnatural swings that I have not seen from our team this year. Going to have to get better but it’s good. You don’t win national championships in February and you don’t win them in March.

For full audio clips of quotes above and more, click below:

Walton recaps the game

Stewart on the adjustments she made during the game

Merritt talks about how big Ocasio has been for the team

Merritt is aware of the tough competition that lies ahead

Ocasio on how she has been successful as a freshman

Walton expresses that his team still needs to get better

About Fernando Juncadella

Senior at the University of Florida. Working at ESPN Gainesville for four years, covering Florida football, softball, and baseball.

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