No. 1 Softball to Face No. 8 Auburn in First Round of SEC Tournament
Sunday, May 3, 2009 | Softball
No. 1/1 University of Florida will face the eighth-seeded Auburn in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Sherri Parker Lee Softball Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 7. The third game of the day is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
In their doubleheader on April 1, the SEC regular-season champion Gators (52-3, 26-1 SEC) defeated the Tigers (29-26, 9-19 SEC), 3-0 and 7-1. Senior Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) earned both victories while three Gators recorded home runs in the two games, including a grand slam by junior Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.). The Gators combined for 13 hits, seven for extra bases.
Florida won its first-ever SEC Tournament title last season in Baton Rouge, La., defeating Alabama in the championship, 4-1, when current student coach Mary Ratliff hit a grand slam in the sixth inning with the Gators trailing 1-0. UF defeated Ole Miss, 1-0, in the opening round when Enea hit a solo shot in the sixth inning. The Gators then took down Tennessee, 6-1, in the semifinals with a 3-for-4 performance by current senior Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.)
With a win, the Gators will take on the winner of fourth-seeded LSU versus fifth-seeded Tennessee. UF swept both teams in three-game series during the regular season.
Live video feed for the first two rounds of the tournament will be available on www.secsports.com. The championship game will be broadcast on Sun Sports and on XM radio channel 200. Live stats will also be available. All Florida contests will have accompanying radio broadcasts, which will be released later this week.
Tickets for the single-elimination tournament can be purchased through the Tennessee Lady Vols Athletic Ticket Office.
2009 SEC Tournament Matchups
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Game 1 - No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Kentucky 11 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 7 Arkansas 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 - No. 1 Florida vs. No. 8 Auburn 5 p.m.
Game 4 - No. 4 LSU vs. No. 5 Tennessee 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 8, 2009 (Semifinals)
Game 5 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 5 p.m.
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 (Championship)
Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 1:30 p.m.
