Florida Gators catcher Jocelyn Erickson. [John Reed-USA TODAY Sports]

Florida Softball Opens SEC Play With Series Win

Hannah Getman March 9, 2025 College Softball, Feature Sports News, Gators Softball, Gators Sports, SEC, Softball 192 Views

The No. 3 Florida softball team entered Sunday’s rubber game against No. 4 Texas A&M in College Station eager to lock up its first SEC series of the season.

Thanks to the help of its offense, Florida was able to do just that. While it may not have been as flashy as the run-rule win the day before, the Gators clinched the series with a 4-2 victory in Game 3 against the Aggies.

Back and Forth

Florida (26-2, 2-1 SEC) struggled in the first inning against Aggies ace Emiley Kennedy, who had led her team to victory in Game 1 on Friday. Kennedy retired the first three batters easily, looking unbeatable in the circle. But, unbeatable meant nothing to Jocelyn Erickson. In the top of the second, the junior smashed her second homer of the weekend to give the Gators a 1-0 lead.

The Aggies (21-4, 1-2) matched with a score in the bottom of the inning. Both teams then went scoreless in the third. Florida scored again in the fourth on a Kendra Falby RBI single. The hit was a double-edged sword, scoring Kenleigh Cahalan, but leading to Kylie Shaw being thrown out at home. Despite this, the Gators again had captured the lead.

But, yet again, Texas A&M matched Florida’s hitting. In the bottom of the fourth, Aggies freshman KK Dement homered to tie the game at 2-all.

Holding Strong

Senior pitcher Kara Hammock entered for freshman Katelynn Oxley in the fifth. She quickly retired the side to give the momentum back to the Gators.

The score remained tied until the sixth inning when sophomore Mia Williams hit a homer in her second straight game to retake the Gators lead.

Reagan Walsh hit a sacrifice fly to extend the Gators lead to 4-2 in the seventh.

Down to their last three outs, the Aggies were not about to give Florida an easy win. Hammock quickly got the Gators to two outs on the first two batters. However, she walked the next two, putting pressure on her defense. Luckily for both her and the Gators, they had the glove of Korbe Otis in left field. On a high hit ball that looked like trouble, the senior made a diving grab, securing the 4-2 win.

Takeaways

With ace Keagan Rothrock out, Florida’s pitching staff proved its depth in this one. Oxley was solid in the circle, holding the high-powered Aggies offense to just two runs in her four innings pitched. Hammock was a force in the circle, picking up two strikeouts and two groundouts while giving up no runs in her three innings. She didn’t look at all shaky until her two walks in the seventh, retiring eight straight before allowing a runner on base.

After a shaky first game of the series, the Gators adjusted quickly to SEC play. Their lineup is just as good as ever, even if it doesn’t necessarily produce a crazy number of runs. Every hitter has the ability to get on base and this game proved that Florida can move runners over. Locking up a series against a strong conference opponent is a positive sign for this team and proves that it can take on tough competition.

What’s Next

The Gators return home this week for a mid-week tilt against UCF on Wednesday before hosting No. 2 Texas for a three-game series starting Saturday. First pitch on Wednesday is at 6 p.m. and the game is available to watch on SEC Network+.

 

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About Hannah Getman

Hannah Getman is a second-year sports and media major at the University of Florida.

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