BOX SCORE
Columbia, Mo. – Following Auburn's loss at LSU on Sunday afternoon, the No. 1-ranked University of Florida softball team secured the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship. Florida (49-5, 18-5 SEC) finishes league play a half-game ahead of Auburn (46-9, 18-6).
The Gators fell to No. 11 Missouri by a 3-2 (8 innings) score on Sunday at University Field in the teams' final regular-season game. The Gators came back from a two-run deficit to tie the game at two after four innings, but the Tigers used a walkoff sacrifice fly in the eighth to take the win.
Missouri took a 2-0 lead in the third with three two-out singles. Florida tied the game in the following frame, beginning when Bailey Castro and Taylore Fuller were hit by pitches. Aubree Munro lined a one-out single through the middle to score pinch-runner Justine McLean, and Kelsey Stewart followed with a two-out base hit to left to bring in Fuller.
The teams traded zeros for three innings before Missouri won the game in the eighth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
STARS OF THE GAME
· Aubree Munro: The UF catcher was 2-for-3 with one of the Gators' two RBI.
· Kelsey Stewart: Florida's All-American infielder went 1-for-3 with the game-tying RBI in the fourth.
NOTABLES
· Florida clinched the fifth SEC championship in program history (also: 1998, 2008, 2009, 2013).
· The Gators' five SEC titles are tied with Alabama and LSU for the most in the league.
· The four league crowns for the Orange and Blue since 2008 are tied with the Crimson Tide for the most in the conference during that span.
· UF will be the No. 1 seed for next week's SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.
· Each of the last three times the Orange and Blue has won the SEC regular-season title, they also have gone on to win the league tournament.
· The Gators played their second extra-inning game of the season (also: 4/1 vs. UNF – W, 2-1).
· Stewart's RBI single in the third extended her hitting streak to a career-best 21 games.
· The infielder has driven in four runs in six games dating back to April 24.
· Munro recorded three RBI during the series after going without one since April 8.
· The Gator catcher notched her second multi-hit game of the series and her third of the season.
· Missouri native Jessica Damico started the final regular-season game of her career in left field.
WALTON'S WORDS
On Aubree Munro's performance on offense:
“Aubree had two hits and an RBI, and got some things going offensively. We really need the bottom of the lineup to add a little bit more depth to that lineup so we can turn more games over and score more runs.”
On the upcoming SEC Tournament:
“We've got a lot of work to still be done. I don't know who we'll play in the first game or how it will go, but my goal is to try to get all three pitchers some good work to keep them sharp and get us ready for the postseason.”
— Florida Head Coach Tim Walton
UP NEXT
Florida will open play at the SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET against the winner of Wednesday's Texas A&M-South Carolina game. The SEC Network will televise the contest. Florida Sports Talk will have the radio broadcast with Adam Schick (play-by-play) and former Gator All-American Megan Bush (analysis) on the call. In addition, a live stats link will be available on the schedule page on GatorZone.com.
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