Bats Silent in Game 1 Loss - Florida Gators

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Georgia came to Pressly Stadium for Friday night's Super Regional opener as one of three unseeded teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament field. Florida, with its deep pitching staff and annually terrific defense, was the No. 4 overall seed and riding a wave of confidence that saw the Gators shutout all three opponents during last week's regional action. 

UF's pitching probably was good enough to win. The defense certainly was. The offense was not. 

The Gators lost 4-0, courtesy of a three-hitter from UGA's Mary Wilson Avant and now find themselves in an elimination situation the rest of the weekend, starting with Saturday's Game 2. They hope to make it to Sunday.

Florida coach Tim Walton put it bluntly afterward. 

"With the exception of a couple hitters, we really swung the bats terribly," he said. 

Those hitters were senior first baseman Kendyl Lindaman, who had doubles in the fourth and sixth, but was left stranded both times in scoring position, and Cheyenne Lindsey, who had a harmless two-out single in the fifth and never advanced past first base. No UF runner, in fact, advanced past second. The Gators went hitless in seven at-bats with runners on, and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. 

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, got a solo homer from Jaiden Fields in the second off Gators starter Natalie Lugo and in the seventh — with UF still right there, down just 1-0 — a three-run shot from Payden Bordeau that, for all intents and purposes (and certainly on this day, the way the home team was hitting) put the game away. 

Repeat: This day. 

Which certainly doesn't have to mean Saturday. Or Sunday, should the Gators make it there. 

Senior Kendyl Lindaman had two of Florida's three hits, both doubles, but both times was left stranded on second.

"I don't think we're down at all," Lindaman said. "We know we had an off day and we know we can be a lot better. It's a matter of coming back and putting our best effort out there."

Let the record show UF has not lost a series this season. Both times the Gators dropped an opening game, they bounced back to win the next two. That includes the April 3-5 weekend in Athens, Ga., when Avant one-hit visiting Florida for a 4-2 win, then came back Sunday and lost 8-1, as the Gators rapped out seven hits, including two homers from Charla Echols. 

In between, UF smashed UGA 17-1 while facing the Bulldogs' Nos. 2-7 arms. 

Like Lindaman said, the Gators know what they're capable of. And, like Walton said, they're capable of much more than what they showed Friday. 

And it wasn't for lack of preparation or confidence. 

"Just one of those days," Lindaman shrugged. 

Time for one of those bounce-back days. 

"I don't know that I can ask my team to do anything different than they've done or be different than what they are. We are what we are, and I've said that in the wins that we've had," Walton said. "We just have to do a better job; bottom of the lineup, top of the lineup both have to do a better job. I can't ask for any better practices or any preparation The preparation coming into this game was really good. I just thought [Avant] was just better than what we prepared for. She did a better job of trumping our preparation."

For that, the Gators are now playing for their season. 
 

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