Moll Strong in Complete Game at No. 1 Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Pitching against the top-ranked team in the country, junior Grace Moll struck out six Florida hitters in her 24th complete-game performance of the season. Behind a four-run third inning, the No. 1 Gators came away with a 5-0 win Saturday afternoon at Pressly Stadium. In addition to the performance from Moll, sophomore Tori Cooper extended her on-base streak to 12-consecutive games.

Game three is set for Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT). Portions of Sunday’s series finale against Florida will be televised as part of SEC Network’s Bases Loaded coverage of the final day of the regular season. The entire game will be streamed live through SEC Network+ through the WatchESPN app with live stats available at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

With her six strikeouts, Moll pushed her season total to 182 which places her ninth on the program’s single-season list and is the most by an Arkansas pitcher since Katy Henry struck out 189 hitters in 2008. Moll now has 14 games this season with six or more strikeouts including five against SEC opponents.

After retiring the side in order in the first inning with the help of two strikeouts, Moll faced a two-on, one-out jam in the second but worked out of trouble with a pair of ground balls. However, Florida (51-4, 19-4 SEC) broke through with four runs in the third inning highlighted by a two-run shot by Kirsti Merritt to cap the scoring. The Gators tacked on another score on an RBI single by Justine McLean in the sixth inning.

Cooper found another way to get on base Saturday with a bunt single in the first inning. She has now reached base safely in 18 of the 21 league games she’s played in this season. The infield single also pushed her hitting streak to seven in a row, extending her career-long stretch. Loren Krzysko picked up a lead-off double in the fifth inning as the only Razorback to reach scoring position in the game. It was her fourth two-base hit of the season.

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