Home runs fuel offensive output that has Gators back in WCWS Championship Series
Senior Kelsey Bruder's 18th home run of the season came on Sunday as Florida beat Alabama 9-2 in the second semifinal game to advance to the Championship Series. (Photo courtesy UF Communications)
As the Florida softball team loaded the bus to start their journey to Oklahoma City, coach Tim Walton explained how Michelle Moultrie was a literal learner. Last year, she was hitting too many balls in the air and Walton told his leadoff batter to keep the ball on the ground.
The junior has learned her role this year, using bunts, ground balls and her speed to post a team-best .520 on-base percentage going into Sunday night’s Women’s College World Series game vs. Alabama. But as the Gators (56-11) head into the championship series against Arizona State, it has been Moultrie’s big bat that has sparked their offensive output.
Moultrie entered the WCWS with two home runs this year, but has hit three of the 11 the Gators have in Oklahoma City. Eight different players have hit home runs, and sophomore Brittany Schutte’s two homers makes her the only other player to hit more than one.
The Gators are a power-hitting team, so that’s no surprise. They set the school record again this year and have 121 heading into the championship series. They lead the nation in home runs per game (1.77) and are second in slugging percentage (.588). But it’s where the power has come from that has been surprising.
Moultrie has given Florida an unexpected boost there, and she’s been nearly unstoppable at the plate going 11-for-18 with five RBI and seven runs scored in the WCWS. But UF has also gotten home runs from sophomore Ensley Gammel, the second of her career, and senior Tiffany DeFelice, who hit her seventh of the season.
Even senior Megan Bush, the SEC career home runs leader, ended a 15-game drought when she hit one out in the WCWS opener vs. Missouri. Here’s a look at the Gators’ long-ball success in Oklahoma City:
Game one: vs. Missouri, 6-2 win
HR: Michelle Moultrie (3), 1 RBI; Megan Bush (21), 2 RBI
Game two: vs. Arizona State, 6-5 loss
HR: Moultrie (4), 2 RBI; Tiffany DeFelice (7), 2 RBI
Game three: vs. Cal, 5-2 win
HR: none
Game four: vs. Alabama, 16-2 win
HR: Moultrie (5), 1 RBI; Brittany Schutte (21), 4 RBI; Cheyenne Coyle (16), 3 RBI; Ensley Gammel (2), 2 RBI
Game five: vs. Alabama, 9-2 win
HR: Kelsey Bruder (18), 2 RBI; Schutte (22), 1 RBI; Aja Paculba (16), 3 RBI
After playing small ball through the Regional and Super Regional rounds, the Gators have scored 23 runs on homers in the WCWS. Alabama had shut out two opponents already this week before UF scored 25 runs in two semifinal games on Sunday. The Gators’ 41 runs in five games match the total runs scored by the other seven teams combined. If they want to upset the top-seeded Sun Devils and win the program’s first ever NCAA title, continuing to hit like this will go a long way toward accomplishing that.
| Team | Games | Runs scored | Runs allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 5 | 41 | 14 |
| Arizona St. | 3 | 13 | 6 |
| Alabama | 4 | 8 | 25 |
| Cal | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Missouri | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Baylor | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Oklahoma St. | 2 | 3 | 7 |
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