The #1 Florida Gator softball team has looked magnificent as the defending National Champions after defeating #8 Tennessee 7-2 and #5 LSU 4-0 to put themselves just one win away from consecutive WCWS Finals. Senior pitcher Lauren Haeger has been an absolute offensive beast for the Gators as the USA Softball National Player of the Year has hit a home run in both games and currently is batting .600 in the WCWS with three hits, three RBI’s, and three runs scored.
On the mound, Haeger has been lights out as she has gone the distance both times for a total of just two earned runs, six hits, and eight strike outs. She threw a one-hitter against Tennessee in Game 1 and shut out LSU in Game 2. Haeger is also the only collegiate softball player to have 70 wins and 70 home runs. The only other player to share this distinction with her is the legendary Babe Ruth. Haeger has been on a tear this postseason and it looks like she could be remembered as one of the greatest softball players of all-time when it is all said and done.
It has not just been all Haeger, however. The entire Gator team is playing at a high level right now. Against Tennessee, junior second baseman Kelsey Stewart notched two hits while freshman Kayli Kvistad plated two runs. Just recently against LSU, junior outfielder Kirsti Merritt went 3-3 out of the four-hole with a home run. Merritt’s solid day at the plate was complemented by junior catcher Aubree Munro and freshman infielder Nicole Dewitt, who both notched two hits a piece with Dewitt scoring two runs.
The Florida Gators are running on all cylinders and look just absolutely unbeatable. I said it before in my predictions article and I will boldly say it again: Nobody is beating this team! The Gators know how to win, and their experience is showing on the biggest of softball’s stages.
*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com
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