Softball Defeats Santa Fe, 8-4, in Fall Action
Friday, November 6, 2009 | Softball
The University of Florida softball team hosted the Santa Fe College for the second time this fall on Thursday night and came away with an 8-4 win. Junior Tiffany DeFelice (Coral Springs, Fla) made an impact with two lead-off home runs and went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Freshman Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.) pitched six innings and struck out seven while allowing only five hits.
The Saints jumped out to an early start with a 3-0 lead after Venica Brown hit a homer to right. Alexis Sowell drew a walk to start the game and then moved into scoring position off a sacrifice bunt by Jaimee Vega. Britany Doty reached base on a fielder's choice and both runners scored off Brown's hit.
In the bottom of the inning, junior Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) led off with a walk. Classmate Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) smoked a 2-1 single to left field as Paculba hustled around third to score, putting the Gators on the board and cutting the lead to two.
Freshman Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif.) gave UF another boost with a solo shot over the wall in right center in the bottom of the second.
The Gators got their spark back in the third inning. Gammel out of a jam by getting Gia Tomossone swinging while there were two runners in scoring position. In the bottom of the inning, DeFelice tied the game with her first bomb off the scoreboard in center.
Bush stepped up the defense in the fourth with one down by tagging the runner heading to third and then firing to first for the double play. When the Gators were up to bat, sophomore Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) hit a double that just barely missed going over the wall in right field.
In the fifth, the Gators took the lead, scoring three runs. The Saints replaced starter Doty with Allie Short, after Doty allowed a single to DeFelice and two walks. Short threw a wild pitch, scoring freshman pinch runner Alyese Stapf (Tampa, Fla.). Senior Corrie Brooks (Christmas, Fla.), who reached base on a walk, sored on another wild pitch to give UF a two-run lead. The Gators scored their final run of the inning when Paculba drew Short's second walk of the inning to score freshman Samantha Holle (Tampa, Fla.).
While Gammel allowed no hits in the top of the sixth, she encountered some troubled of her own, walking three to fill the bases. Colesa Lazar hit a sacrifice fly to score Colena Lazar. That was the only run Gammel allowed in the inning, as she forced one batter to ground out and one she caught swinging.
In the sixth, DeFelice got the crowd on its feet by tallying her second lead-off bomb of the night, also off the scoreboard. Freshman Erin Schuppert (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) then came in to pitch a 1-2-3 inning, catching two Saints swinging, to close out the seventh inning.
In the home half of the seventh, Gammel hit a ball deep into center field for a double. Moultrie moved her to the corner on a sacrifice bunt. Paculba then laid down another bunt to score Gammel as she hustled in from third for the Gators' final run of the game.
Florida plays its final fall game on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. against Chipola College at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
