10:06 pm | May 8, 2019 | Go to Source | Author: Gatorsports
Special to Gatorsports.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Sophomore Jordan Matthews capped Florida’s rally in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday with a two-run double to lift the Gators to a 6-5 win on the opening day of the SEC softball tournament.
Florida went with freshman Elizabeth Hightower in the circle instead of senior All-American Kelly Barnhill. The move looked solid when she struck out the first three batters. The game started at about 1:45 p.m. ET before inclement weather in the area forced a four hour and 58 minute delay in the top of the second.
No. 11 seed South Carolina (36-17) came back from the long delay with a bang, as Cayla Drotar lifted the first home run of the afternoon over the wall in left field and off the scoreboard to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead through two. The scoring continued in a big way in the top of the third when Mackenzie Boesel blasted a two-run homer in center field to push the lead to 3-0. Kennedy Clark later homered in the inning to extend the advantage to 4-0 through three full innings of action.
From there, the momentum swung to the defending SEC Tournament champions.
No. 6 seed Florida (41-15) overcame the 4-0 deficit by scoring six runs in the final two innings. Three of the Gators’ six runs were unearned.
The Gators cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth when Hannah Adams and Sophia Reynoso both singled and then, with two outs, two errors by the Gamecocks allowed the UF runners to score.
South Carolina added a run in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for the Gators’ rally.
Kendyl Lindaman walked to open the UF frame, moved to second on a ground out and scored on Jordan Roberts’ single. Adams then doubled to put runners on second and third. Reynoso worked a long at-bat before hitting a shot to first that was misplayed, allowing a run to score. Matthews then doubled to score Adams and Reynoso.
“It was very nice,” Matthews said. “I wasn’t looking for anything, just to make good contact. I was thinking just one more run. Just to hit a deep enough sac (fly). I wasn’t trying to do too much.”
Florida will play 3 seed LSU (40-15) in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Thursday.
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