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The No. 4 national seed Florida Gators softball team beat the South Alabama Jaguars 9-1 in five innings Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to win the NCAA Gainesville Regional.
The Gators (49-12) used a seven-run third inning to run-rule the Jaguars (34-20-1) and advance to their 15th Super Regional under coach Tim Walton with their 11th consecutive win. They won the regional 3-0 by outscoring opponents 24-2 in the three games.
Headed to the Super Regionals 🎉#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/7G5zroXSnm
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 19, 2024
Gators Dominate
The Gators got going early in the game, something they struggled with in the first two games. They knocked Jaguar starter Tori Miller (3-2) out of the game after two innings and six runs.
SEC Player of the Year Jocelyn Erickson hit a two-run home run (her 13th) facing a full count with two outs to make it 2-0 Gators in the first inning.
“Don’t focus so much on the pitcher, focus on yourself,” Erickson said Walton told her before the game.
LAUNCHED!@joceyerickson with the early homer 💣
📺 ESPN+ | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/nl74yrcXri
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 19, 2024
The third inning is where the Gators put the game out of reach by scoring seven runs for a 9-0 lead.
Erickson’s RBI single made it 3-0 and Reagan Walsh followed with a RBI double to make it 4-0. On the double by Walsh, Skylar Wallace scored her 302nd career run, which ties the NCAA record. Ava Brown and Korbe Otis each hit two-run singles to make it 8-0. Wallace hit a RBI double to make it 9-0.
Lead extended!@ReaganWalsh17 comes through 🙌
📺 ESPN+ | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/CxX1K73dgb
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 19, 2024
Pitching Control
Florida starter Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown (16-5) dominated the Jaguar lineup. Rothrock pitched two innings and gave up one hit and one walk. She struck out four batters.
Brown came in with UF up 9-0 and pitched the final three innings. She surrendered the run, but struck out three batters and walked none.
“Let’s get Ava in, we are going to need her down the stretch,” Walton said.
The South Alabama run came off a Odalys Cordova RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.
Up Next
The Gators will take on the unseeded Baylor Bears (35-21) in the Super Regionals at noon (ESPN2) Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The If-Necessary Game would be played Sunday.
The Bears advanced by defeating No.13 national seed Louisiana 4-3 in the Lafayette Regional final.
This will be the first Super Regional appearance for Florida since 2022 when it beat Virginia Tech 2-1 in the Blacksburg Super Regional before going 1-2 in the Women’s College World Series. The Gators are 11-3 in Super Regionals.
Next Up: Super Regionals at KSP🐊 pic.twitter.com/HzjGjccfNj
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 19, 2024
Super Regional winners advance to the eight-team Women’s College World Series starting May 30 in Oklahoma City.
