NCAA SUPER REGIONAL GAME 2
FLORIDA 2, ALABAMA 0
WHAT HAPPENED: Amanda Lorenz hit a two-run homer in the third inning and that was all senior
Delanie Gourley needed to extend top-seeded Florida's season in Game 2 of the Gators' NCAA Super Regional series against Southeastern Conference rival and No. 16 Alabama before a raucous crowd at Seashole Pressly Stadium. The victory forced a decisive Game 3 Saturday that will send the winner to the Women's College World Series next week in Oklahoma City. Lorenz's homer provided the first runs of the series for UF and left the rest to Gourley, the gritty left-hander who excels on the biggest of stages. Gourley scattered four hits, struck out eight and lowered her season's ERA to 0.68 in throwing her third shutout in as many appearances in this NCAA Tournament.
PLAY OF THE GAME: The homer by Lorenz completely changed the atmosphere of the offense-starved UF home crowd. The energy jolt was noticeable and the Gators, not surprisingly, fed off it as the game went on and Gourley did her thing. And while the homer proved the difference, it doesn't happen without the play before she stepped up and smacked the big fly. UF's No. 9 hitter, speedy
Justine McLean, came to the plate with two out and faced two strikes when she reached first base -- with those wheels of hers -- on a swinging bunt. That allowed the Florida lineup to turn over, bringing Lorenz, the leadoff batter, to the plate. Boom.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Gourley, once again, was magnificent in the clutch. Just like she did in the decisive regional Game 3 against Oklahoma State, and just like she did in those back-to-back World Series of 2014 and '15, Gourley got the ball in a pressure-packed situation. All she did was utterly shutdown the Crimson Tide -- and win. Her best work? In the Alabama sixth, Gourley walked leadoff batter
Bailey Hemphill and fell behind the next, clean-up hitter
Marisa Runyon representing the tying run, 3-0, only to work the count full and get Runyon to pop out to short. The next two hitters --
Reagan Dykes and
Sydney Booker -- popped out as well. Gourley improved her record to 21-4 on the season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Every 2017 NCAA Tournament played at Seashole Pressly has been decided by shutout. Not just the UF games, but all games last weekend in the regional involving Oklahoma State, Florida International and Florida A&M as well. That marked the first time since the tournament went to a 64-team field in 2005 that a regional site featured all shutouts. Now, all told, including Friday night, that's nine straight shutouts here in Gainesville.
UP NEXT: The winner-take-all Game 3 is set for Saturday at 5 p.m., with Florida (54-8) expected to go with
Kelly Barnhill (23-3, 0.34 ERA), whose two throwing errors in Friday night's Game 1 proved the difference in a 3-0 loss. The Tide will counter with
Alexis Osorio (23-7, 1.17 ERA), who shut down and shut out the Gators in the series opener, limiting UF to just three hits and striking out eight.
