florida gators softball

florida gators softball

OKLAHOMA CITY – Arizona entered the Women's College World Series with the nation's top offense, but the Wildcats were no match for Gators pitcher Stacey Nelson on Thursday.

Nelson (40-3, 0.40 ERA) shutout No. 9 Arizona (46-16) and struck out 12 batters, leading Florida to a 3-0 victory at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. With the victory, the No. 1 Gators (61-3) advanced to the second round of the WCWS, where they will take on No. 5 Michigan Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

"She did a great job of really killing their momentum," Florida coach Tim Walton said of Nelson's performance. "After the first inning, she was really tough to hit. You've got to give Stacey all of the credit for sure."

Arizona's vaunted offense led the nation this year in home runs, runs, batting average and slugging percentage. But it was Florida, which averaged two fewer runs per game than its opponent, that caught fire early.

The Wildcats threatened first – putting two runners in scoring position with one out – but the Gators finished what they started at the plate. Left fielder Francesca Enea drilled a two-run homer – breaking the Florida record with her 18th of the season – to right-center field off Arizona pitcher Lindsey Sisk in the bottom of the first.

Shortstop Megan Bush followed Enea's home run with one of her own in the second to put Florida ahead 3-0.

"This was what I really needed," said Bush, who went 1 for 16 in last year's WCWS. "I was missing the first hit last time to get me started, so hopefully this will keep the momentum going for not only me, but the team because when we get a string of hits, it just keeps going."

The Wildcats showed flashes of their offensive potential in the first inning, getting two quick singles from the first two batters in their lineup.

But Florida's senior ace fielded a groundout, and with two runners in scoring position, Nelson got her first strikeout of the game before forcing Sam Banister to pop up to end the inning unblemished.

The rest of the game boiled down to a pitching duel, as Nelson kept the Wildcats off the board for her school-record 21st shutout of the season. Arizona pitcher Sarah Akamine, who came in after Bush's homer, gave up three hits but kept Florida off the board, striking out seven.

After the game, Arizona coach Mike Candrea and his players praised Nelson's ability to make adjustments to keep hitters off-balance and off the bases.

"I think a big part of it after the first few innings was just settling down," Nelson said. "I was a little wild in the beginning – maybe effectively wild, I don't know – but just settling down, seeing their adjustments, making my own whether they were deep in the box or on the plate, and just throwing my pitches according to where they were standing."