Career day for Lindsey, as No. 5 Gators sweep No. 13 Tigers

No. 5 Florida earned the SEC softball series sweep Sunday over No. 13 LSU with the 9-3 win at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Cheyenne Lindsey (2-for-4) drove in a career-high five runs and Elizabeth Hightower (12-1) hurled her eighth complete game of the season for the Gators.

The Gators (24-3, 8-1 SEC) dominated the Tigers (18-11, 4-5) as the team churned out 12 hits compared to LSU’s five. Hannah Adams (2-for-4), Julia Cottrill (2-for-4), Emily Wilkie (2-for-4) and Lindsey all turned in multi-hit performances, Jaimie Hoover (1-for-2), Baylee Goddard (1-for-3), Katie Kistler (1-for-1) and Sarah Longley (1-for-2) each tallied a hit.

Florida opened the scoring in the first inning when Cottrill drove home Adams via a single. Adams reached base to lead off the game with a single to extend her career-long hit streak out to 12 games.

Back-to-back walks issued by LSU starting pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch (2-1) to Wilkie and Hoover loaded the bases with two outs. Goddard then capitalized when she dropped in a two-RBI single down the left field line to extend the Gators lead out to 3-0.

The Tigers then made the call to the bullpen and brought in Shelbi Sunseri to quell the Florida rally.

After a scoreless third, the Gators kicked back into gear to score four runs on three hits to take a 7-0 lead. UF loaded the bases via an extra-base hit from Cottrill, a walk from Wilkie and a single up the middle by Hoover.

With the bases loaded, Longley drew and RBI walk to push the lead out to 4-0. Lindsey then sent the first pitch offered from Sunseri off the wall in left center field to clear the bases and extend the lead out to 7-0.

The Tigers avoided the shutout when they scored a pair of runs in the 4th inning and one in the 5th inning to close down the Gators lead to 7-3.

UF responded in the home half of the fifth inning when Lindsey cranked her second home run of the year to push the lead out to 9-3. Longley was able to leadoff the frame with her first extra-base hit of the season with a double off the left center field wall.

Hightower closed out the game by only giving up one hit in the final two frames of play.

Next up for the Gators is a visit to Jacksonville starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday.