KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A five-run first inning dug No. 1 Florida (55-3) out of an early two-tally deficit as the Gators raced past No. 3 Alabama (47-9), 8-5, and secured the school's second consecutive Southeastern Conference Tournament title on Saturday afternoon at the Lee Softball Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Shortstop Megan Bush blasted a first inning grand slam for the Gators, while right fielder Kelsey Bruder posted a 2-for-3, three-RBI effort to help lead the UF offensive attack. For the Tide, designated player Charlotte Morgan (2-for-3), catcher Ashley Holcombe (0-for-1) and pinch hitter Kendall Dawson (0-for-1) each posted single RBIs.
Stacey Nelson picked up the win in the circle for Florida, allowing three earned runs on five hits during a complete game effort to improve to 35-3. Alabama's Kelsi Dunne dropped to 24-3 after permitting seven earned scores on six hits in 5.1 frames.
Alabama quickly got its lead-off batter of the game on-base as a throwing error on a bunt out in front of the plate allowed center fielder Brittany Rogers to reach safely. With second baseman Lauren Parker at the plate, the runner took off for second but was gunned down on a strong throw from Gator catcher Kristina Hilberth. That proved to be a run-saving decision for UF as the Crimson Tide's Parker coerced a walk and then designated player Charlotte Morgan singled through the left side. With runners at first and second and one down, right fielder Cassie Reilly-Boccia also walked, loading the bags for catcher Ashley Holcombe. She was struck in the leg by a pitch from Florida starter Stacey Nelson, forcing in the game's first run as Parker crossed for a 1-0 lead. With first baseman Amanda Locke at the dish, Nelson uncorked a wild pitch to the backstop allowing Morgan to score from third as 'Bama nabbed a 2-0 advantage. Locke and UA left fielder Whitney Larsen each struck out to end the frame, but the damage had been done as the Tide grabbed a stunning two-run lead.
Faced with a quick deficit for the second straight game after falling behind Tennessee 3-0 through the top of the first on Friday night, Florida lead-off hitter Aja Paculba was hit by a Kelsi Dunne pitch to get aboard. UF designated player Tiffany DeFelice ripped a shot down the third base line. Alabama's Kelley Montalvo dove to her right into foul ground and managed to corral the sphere on an outstanding play for a big first out. First baseman Ali Gardiner managed a four-pitch walk and left fielder Francesca Enea was struck on the forearm by a pitch, loading the bases for right fielder Kelsey Bruder and her 15 HR's. She didn't need the long ball to knock in a run, however, as Bruder drew a walk, forcing in a score and cutting the UF deficit to 2-1. Third baseman Corrie Brooks bounced slowly to her opposite counterpart as Montalvo charged the roller and tossed home for a force. With two retired in the frame, shortstop Megan Bush battled Dunne over a 16-pitch at-bat before blasting a grand slam deep to left as the Gators rallied again in the bottom of the first to nab a 5-2 lead.
After 'Bama left a runner stranded in the top half of the second, Florida got a rally going with two down in the bottom half all without the benefit of a hit. DeFelice walked, an error on a fielder's choice allowed Gardiner to reach and then Enea was struck by a pitch, loading the bases for Bruder. She worked to a 2-2 count but swung and missed at strike three as Dunne helped keep the Crimson Tide in the match-up.
UA's Morgan christened the top of the third by being struck on the foot by a Nelson pitch. Cassie Reilly-Boccia followed with a bouncing single through the right side of the infield, placing two Crimson-clad runners on the base paths with still none retired. Holcombe swung and lifted a foul toward the third base dugout that was caught at the wall by Brooks for the initial out. Nelson managed to get Locke swinging at strike three and then K'ed Larsen to escape a two-runner jam.
Paculba got the Gator offense rolling again in the bottom of the fourth by leading off the frame with a triple down the right field line. DeFelice caught the Tide infield by surprise, dropping a squeeze bunt to the circle that plated the runner from 60 feet away for a 6-2 advantage. Enea was hit by a Dunne pitch with two retired, and Bruder followed by driving a shot into the left center field gap as pinch runner Brooke Johnson scored UF's seventh run all the way from first.
Alabama clawed back within 7-3 in the top of the fifth as the SEC Player of the Year Morgan blasted a solo shot off Nelson over the scoreboard in left. The big fly marked the first homer given up by Nelson during the entire 2009 campaign.
UF's DeFelice managed to reach successfully leading off the bottom of the sixth on a poor throw to first on an infield ground ball. Following a Gator K, Enea walked as UF boasted two runners aboard with just one out in the inning. That set the stage for Bruder as she blasted a single back through the middle of the infield, scoring pinch runner Lauren Heil from second as the lead grew to 8-3. That ended the day in the circle for Dunne as Locke was summoned into the contest in relief. The new pitcher immediately retired Brooks on a solid play at third by Montalvo and got Bush on a bouncer to first to limit the damage to just one run.
Down to their last chance, Parker stepped in to lead off the top of the seventh frame. She ripped a single just over the glove of a leaping Paculba at second to give the Tide some hope. Morgan dropped a routine grounder to short that traveled right through the legs of Bush and into left field, placing two aboard with still no one retired as UA started to string a threat together. With Reilly-Boccia at the dish, Nelson unleashed a wild pitch to advance the runners up 60 feet into scoring position. Nelson walked Reilly-Boccia to pack the bags, and then consecutive groundouts from pinch hitter Cat Dozier and Locke, plated a pair as the Tide cut the deficit to 8-5. That was as close as Alabama could get as Larsen struck out swinging to end the championship contest.
2009 SEC Softball All-Tournament Team
Molly Johnson, Jr., SS, Kentucky Rachel Riley, Fr., P/DP, Kentucky Erinn Webb, Jr., RF, Tennessee Jen Lapicki, So., C/1B, Tennessee Charlotte Morgan, Jr., U/P, Alabama Lauren Parker, Sr., 2B, Alabama Ashley Holcombe, Sr., C, Alabama Aja Paculba, So., 2B, Florida Kelsey Bruder, So., RF, Florida Corrie Brooks, Jr., 3B, Florida Kristina Hilberth, Sr., C, Florida MVP: Kristina Hilberth, Sr., C, Florida
POST-GAME QUOTES
FLORIDA HEAD COACH TIM WALTON
Opening statement: "Obviously, to repeat as tournament champions and SEC Champions is probably one of the hardest things that we've accomplished in my coaching career, playing with the burden of being the No. 1 team and the target and all those things. I give my kids a lot of credit for being able to play with the looseness and intensity and composure that they played with. I think we've worked very hard to get to this point and they deserve all the accolades and all the praise that we can give them. To beat Alabama three times in one season is a very difficult task. It's something that we're very proud of, beating a team like Alabama. The benchmark of this conference has been, if you want to be a College World Series team, you've got to beat someone like Alabama. We're proud of where we're at right now."
On whether he expected a high-scoring game: "I don't want to say you do (expect that) because you've got two All-American pitchers out there, but if there are any two teams capable of that, you've got the best two teams to do that right here."
On whether familiarity played a role: "I think familiarity does play a little bit into (the teams doing well offensively). I think we mirror each other so much. We're looking at two teams that have over 200 walks and have as many homeruns as we do, it's clear that both teams know how to hit. You saw a good battle all the way to the end."
On Kristina Hilberth being named SEC Tournament MVP: "I couldn't be happier for a person. Without Kristina Hilberth, this team doesn't function. She's a leader. I've challenged her all year to be a leader. She leads, she blocks, she throws, she hits. Her batting average (this season) is 100 points better than her career average. That's a reward right there for a kid who's fought through the most adversity you can face as an athlete - not being very good to being named SEC Tournament MVP your senior season on the No. 1 team in the country."
FLORIDA SENIOR PITCHER STACEY NELSON
On her performance this weekend: "I just didn't have a very good performance for me this weekend. I was kind of unhappy with that. But that's when you get teammates like (mine) to pick you up with runs."
On what she threw to Charlotte Morgan: "That was a screwball. All of them."
On allowing her first homerun of the season: "Playing in Division I college softball, homeruns are kind of inevitable, especially to hitters like Charlotte Morgan who can drive the ball well. I wasn't really thinking about it, but it happens."
On Kristina Hilberth's MVP award: "Kristina's been long overdue to receive a big award like that."
FLORIDA SENIOR CATCHER KRISTINA HILBERTH
On winning the SEC Tournament MVP award: "I didn't expect it at all. It kind of caught me off guard. The girls kind of pushed me out there and I was a little confused. It's really an honor to be chosen out of all these great athletes on our team and all seven other teams (in the tournament). Shocking would be the word I would use."
On whether the rain delay affected the team's first inning performance: "Alabama did a good job capitalizing on a few breaks for them. Hats off to them, they're a great ball club and they capitalized and go two runs early. We just need to do a better job of shutting our opponents down in the first inning. Obviously, the last two games we've given up a few runs (in the first inning)."
FLORIDA SOPHOMORE SHORTSTOP MEGAN BUSH
On her grand slam: "It was awesome. It was a lot of fun because I never expected it. She pitched me inside the whole time so I was just trying to battle and foul off. Then I got one that I could drive."
On the strategy against Alabama pitcher Kelsi Dunne: "I'm just trying to stay alive and get a pitch to hit. Dunne's a good pitcher, so I was just trying to find a pitch (to hit) in between all of the other ones."
ALABAMA HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY
Opening Statement "I want to congratulate Florida on a great year and good game, and we're just looking forward to the post-season beginning tomorrow night (with the selection show)."
How tough was it to overcome Florida's first inning? "The key hit, especially now when it's do or die in a championship atmosphere, whoever gets, usually the lone, key hit, will win the game. That was obviously a key hit, a two-out grand slam. We had a chance with first and second no outs, we got three up, but they got the stop."
How important was the final inning for you? "I thought we played well, kept our composure and fought. We got some different people in there to get them experience in different situations. We put Kendall (Dawson) in at catcher and she got an at bat, and I thought that was important."
ALABAMA JUNIOR UTILITY/PITCHER CHARLOTTE MORGAN
How important was the final inning for you? It looked for a while that you had lost interest, but then started to come back. "We definitely don't ever give up. We fought hard and our goal is to never give up. I think we really showed that today. It may not have appeared so to you, but we didn't give up."
ALABAMA SENIOR CATCHER ASHLEY HOLCOMBE
You had the best view of anyone today, how hard was it to be a pitcher out there today? "I think it was pretty tough. I definitely would not have wanted to be a pitcher out there today because sometimes you feel like you don't know what you have to do to get a strike called. We had the same situation in the first inning with the bases loaded with one out and they got the hit and we didn't. I think it was definitely a tough day to be a pitcher."
Does facing Stacey Nelson prepare you for the rest of the post-season? "Most definitely. We scored five runs on one of the best pitchers in the nation. Anyone who comes in for regionals or super regionals, this is going to be tougher than any regional or super regional we're going to play."