Courtesy: FloridaGators.com

Louisiana Defeats Gator Softball As UF Loses First Game Of Year

The 18th ranked University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns ended the second ranked Florida’s eight game win streak Sunday afternoon.  After Florida blanked Louisiana in a doubleheader on Saturday, the Gators were beaten 4-3 in 11 innings on Sunday.

Florida Came Out Swinging

The Gators (8-1) brought the heat early on. A leadoff walk by Janell Wheaton followed by Aleshia Ocasio’s single gave the Gators a good start. Sophia Reynoso took first base after getting hit by a  2-2 pitch and with the bases loaded, Amanda Lorenz extended her hitting streak to seven games after ripping a two-RBI single, bringing in Wheaton and Ocasio.

Ragin’ Cajuns on the Board

The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-2) scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, the first runs they had scored all weekend long.  The bases were loaded with one out when Alissa Dalton got up to the plate; her single to right center field drove in Brittany Rodriguez and Aeriyl Mass tying the game 2-2. Mass reached base when Kelly Barnhill walked her and Rodriguez was safe on a throwing error.

Extra Innings

In the bottom of the ninth, Louisiana failed to take advantage of their best chance to end the game. The first two batters reached base safely and a ground out advanced the runners.  But a strikeout and a ground out gave the Gators life and the game went into extra innings.

In the top of the 11th Florida’s Hannah Adams batted in the Gators’ third and final run as Ocasio scored her second run and the Gators took the lead 3-2.

Gator coach Tim Walton liked what he saw from Adams.

“Hannah Adams had a really nice hit, as a freshman on the road and to be able to deliver that hit and the go ahead RB was crucial,” Walton said.

That lead however, would not hold up as Louisiana’s Casidy Chaumont hit a walk-off two run homer in the 11th inning to send the Gators to their first defeat of the year.

Looking Ahead

The Gators will next host a midweek doubleheader against Oakland University Wednesday at 4 p.m.  Wednesday’s game is the first of eight straight home games. Walton said the team has to play better defense and run the bases better.

We are going to have to rely heavily on our depth,” Walton said. “We have a lot of positional depth, so we’re going catch multiple catchers, pitch multiple pitchers and give everyone a chance to go out there and earn a spot. We have a lot of players who have been working hard and they need to be rewarded with some real game time.”

 

 

About Kate Venezio

Kate Venezio is a fourth-year telecommunication-news student at the University of Florida. Kate does it all: Behind the camera she captures emotional moments as a photographer for the University of Florida Athletic Association. She's comfortable being in front of the camera, too. Kate interviews players, coaches, fans and family members for pre- and post-game coverage as a beat reporter for ESPN Gainesville/WRUF-FM. In addition, Kate produces the sports segment for the weekly WUFT News program. There, she's responsible for writing the script in its entirety to include production commands. The presentation includes video highlights and interviews taped and edited, and Kate then live anchors the final package on a daily deadline. In addition, she writes stories for wruf.com where she informs sports fans of local, state, and national trending topics. Kate also utilizes social media as a tool to help get the stories in front of viewers. 

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