Another Swing, Another Magical Moment As Gators Keep SEC Title Bid Alive
Saturday, May 7, 2011 | Softball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If the next two games play out like Friday's between No. 3-ranked Tennessee and the fourth-ranked Gators, maybe whoever runs Pressly Stadium should consider installing a Rolaids dispenser in each dugout.
There could be a lot of heartburn with so much on the line.
“The SEC is such tough competition every single day,'' Florida outfielder Kelsey Bruder said. “I think right now the best thing to do is not panic.''
The scenarios remain abundant following Florida's dramatic 4-3 win on freshman Cheyenne Coyle's walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the seventh Friday.
If the Gators sweep the Vols this weekend, they will capture the SEC East regular-season title and have a chance at the overall league crown if Alabama loses at least once to Ole Miss. If the Gators lose either Saturday or Sunday, Tennessee clinches the SEC East. The Vols also still have a chance to claim the overall league title depending on how the Alabama-Ole Miss series plays out.
We need at least another day to have a clearer picture of how everything is going to shake out, so for now we'll just savor a heck of a softball game won by a Florida team that now has 15 wins in 16 games following a six-game losing streak – the program's longest in six years.
The Gators won Friday with five numbers painted on the field: 2, 3, 12, 28 and 32. Those are the numbers of the five Florida seniors to be honored this weekend. The two seniors from Florida – pitcher Stephanie Brombacher and catcher Tiffany DeFelice – will be honored on Saturday. The three from California – Bruder, Aja Paculba and Megan Bush – will be honored prior to Sunday's game.
They officially earned the title of winningest senior class in UF softball history as soon as Tennessee center fielder Kelly Grieve ran out of running room on Coyle's high fly ball.
As Coyle rounded the bases following her 13th homer, the Gators gathered at the plate for the type of celebration that has become very common of late at Pressly Stadium.
“That's big-time stuff,'' Florida coach Tim Walton said.
The victory was Florida's third walk-off win in the last four home games, two of those by Bruder on back-to-back days against Alabama on April 23 and 24.
While the seniors set a new standard Friday, Coyle and fellow freshman Hannah Rogers helped them get there.
Before Coyle stepped to the plate against Vols pitcher Ellen Renfroe, Rogers replaced Brombacher with Tennessee leading 3-1 with two outs in the fifth and a runner on third. Rogers got out of that jam, and then struck out four of the eight batters she faced – using a nasty drop ball – the final two innings as the Gators came back.
Bruder described Rogers' performance – her team-high 28th win of the season – with one word.
“Clutch,'' she said.
Rogers certainly was that, spelling Brombacher after the Vols overcame a 1-0 deficit in the fifth with three runs.
But as quickly as Tennessee grabbed the lead, the Gators tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, both coming on wild pitches by Renfroe.
That's about the time when Vols coach Ralph Weekly would have probably grabbed the Rolaids if a dispenser had been nearby.
Once the Gators tied the game, neither team scored until Coyle's home run ended the game. She didn't even think it was going to be a home run.
“I actually thought I popped it up,'' Coyle said. “It was a nice feeling.''
The stage is set for a couple of more tense days at Pressly Stadium. From the way they have played lately, maybe that's how the Gators want it.
“From what we've shown of late, I think we're starting to loosen up a little bit and getting more confident,'' Walton said. “I've been preaching it: if we've got an out left, let's continue to move and continue to do some things.
“If you don't believe by now, then you need to find you a spot in somebody else's dugout.''
The Gators appear to believe. On a day when the No. 2 through 6 spots in the lineup went a combined 1-for-10, the lower part of the lineup produced in dramatic fashion.
For all this to work out in the Gators' favor, they will need help from everyone from top to bottom.
They will need more clutch performances.
Bruder is a believer. The recent comebacks make it easy.
“I think that's the mark of maybe a true champion, to stay cool and collected in the moment,'' Bruder said. “Those are tough moments. When it gets tight, I think that's when you rise above it and that's what I think this team has been about.''
