DeFelice, Brombacher shine in UF softball win

<p>The No. 3 Florida softball team kicked off the home portion of its 2010 schedule Wednesday, sporting some new faces, names and entrance songs. But it became obvious early that the Gators' dominance inside the circle surrounding the mound remains the same.</p><p>In the team's first home game without graduated All-American pitcher Stacey Nelson, Stephanie Brombacher proved worthy of the ace position. The junior breezed through her pitches and easily earned the complete-game victory with a a 6-1 victory over Jacksonville.</p><p>Brombacher fanned the first four Dolphin batters she faced and finished with nine strikeouts. She allowed one run on two hits while walking two in a 109-pitch performance.</p><p>Catcher Tiffany DeFelice did the bulk of the UF damage from the plate, finishing 3-for-3 and logging her first two home runs of the season. After the game, the junior hustled from the dugout to the classroom for a late-night test.</p><p>“It makes it easier (when the team is hitting well),” Brombacher said. “I can just focus on my pitches and working the batters, because I know my defense will make plays.”</p><p>Florida (4-1) struck early when Kelsey Bruder (1-2, run, RBI, walk) earned a lead-off walk to open the second inning and was eventually driven home when DeFelice hammered a shot that just nipped the top of the left-field foul pole. Home plate umpire Michael Finch took a moment, but eventually ruled the hit fair to make it a 2-0 game.</p><p>Jacksonville (4-1) answered with a run in the top of the third.</p><p>The Gators scored runs on back-to-back batters in the bottom of the third and made it 5-1 on DeFelice's lead-off bomb that hit the scoreboard in the fourth. A Brittany Walker sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Lauren Heil for the final run of the night.</p><p>Florida logged seven hits and one error. The Dolphins recorded an error and two hits, but couldn't get a player on base through the final 3½ innings.</p><p>“Any time we win, it's going to be good,” Walton said.</p>