UF softball reaches SEC final

BATON ROUGE, La. — The first-ranked Florida softball team advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game with a 6-1 win over No. 14 Tennessee on Friday.

The Gators will be playing in their third SEC Tournament championship and second in as many years. Top-seeded Florida will face No. 2 seed Alabama at 1:30 p.m. today (Sun Sports, AM-850). The Tide beat No. 3 seed LSU, 7-4, in Friday's other semifinal.

Six of the nine batters in the Gator lineup recorded hits on the night, but were led by a 3-for-4 performance from junior Kim Waleszonia. She scored two runs and recorded two RBIs and a double on the day. The Gators (61-2) were also helped by eight walks from the Tennessee pitching staff, including two each to freshmen Aja Paculba and Megan Bush and junior Ali Gardiner.

Junior Stacey Nelson improved her record to 39-2 on the year with the complete-game win. She scattered four Tennessee hits, while walking three and striking out five. She is now just six strikeouts from being the first Gator pitcher to record 300 or more strikeouts in a season. Rhodes took the loss for Tennessee (47-14) to move to 20-9 on the season.

Tennessee got on the board first in the top of the first inning with a sacrifice bunt from Shannon Doepking.

The Gators took the lead in the second when freshman Tiffany DeFelice started a Gator rally as she drew a two-out walk on 13 pitches. Gardiner finished with a base hit to left. Sophomore Corrie Brooks’ single to left center scored DeFelice to tie the game at 1-1. Brooks advanced to second on the throw home, leaving Gator runners at second and third. Waleszonia knocked a bases-clearing double to left center to add two more runs as the Gators took a 3-1 lead.

The Gators added another run in the bottom of the fifth. Bush drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk from Rhodes for an RBI and the 4-1 Gator lead.

Florida added two more runs in its final at bat for the 6-1 victory as Gardiner brought in Franklin with a walk. Enea’s school record sixth sacrifice fly of the year brought in Waleszonia for the sixth and final Gator run of the game.