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The Florida Gators softball team took care of business on the third and final day of the USF-Rawlings Invitational in Tampa. The Gators won Sunday games against Georgia Southern and South Florida to remain perfect on the weekend and improve to 6-0 overall.
Game One: Eagles Grounded
Following their Saturday upset against No. 22 Michigan, the Georgia Southern Eagles looked to do more damage Sunday against the undefeated No. 2 Florida.
The Eagles started off the game strong, managing to get their first two batters on base. Florida’s defense remained unfazed, taking care of business on a pop out and double play.
In the bottom of the inning, senior Korbe Otis knocked a single to right field with freshman Taylor Shumaker on second, driving in a run for the Gators. She managed to steal second with two outs, but Florida could not drive her in.
B1 | Otis singles to right sending Shumaker 🏠
Gators 1 | Eagles 0 #GoGators | @korbeotis pic.twitter.com/gunvLSeFMQ
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 9, 2025
It was a slow day at the plate following the first inning, with both teams struggling to bring in runs. Despite the lack of production from her offense, sophomore pitcher Ava Brown held strong in the circle. She gave up just two hits and one walk on the day. Brown shut down the Eagles bats, recording three strikeouts and not allowing a single run while pitching a complete game.
The game remained a defensive battle until the sixth when junior Jocelyn Erickson solo homered to right field. Florida’s bats came alive following the score. Senior Reagan Walsh doubled to left center and sophomore Mia Williams hit a ground-rule double, driving in freshman Kylie Shaw, who was pinch running for Walsh. Up 3-0, Florida kept it going with Williams stealing third. Ava Brown then notched her first hit and RBI of the season on a single to center to score Williams.
After a pitching change, Georgia Southern managed to get out of the inning on a groundout by freshman Layla Lamar, but the damage had already been done. Brown shut the Eagles down in four batters in the top of the seventh to clinch the 4-0 win for the Gators, improving the team to 5-0 on the season.
Game Two: Gators Wrangle the Bulls
Carrying the momentum into their second game of the day, the Gators bats were unstoppable against the USF Bulls. Florida wasted no time heating up, scoring four runs in the top of the first.
With two runners on, Jocelyn Erickson hit a hard grounder to second base in her first at bat, causing an error and bringing in two unearned runs. Junior Kenleigh Cahalan picked up where Erickson left off, hitting a rocket out to centerfield and causing a drop, leading to another unearned run.
With Florida up 3-0, Williams singled down the third base line, leading Cahalan to beat the throw home and score another unearned run for Florida. The Gators made it back to the top of their lineup before the Bulls were able to get out of the inning.
TAKING IT HOME!! 😮💨💨 x @CahalanKenleigh
Gators 4 | Bulls 0
📺 https://t.co/A6tSs1EZXn (ESPN+) pic.twitter.com/oySfA67V1N
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 9, 2025
In the second, Taylor Shumaker led off the inning with a homer for the Gators. USF managed to put the next three away to keep the Florida lead at five. After failing to score in the third, Florida notched three more runs in the fourth. With a runner on, Kendra Falby blasted a no doubter out of the park for her sixth career home run.
https://twitter.com/GatorsSB/status/1888688949985701970
Shumaker then came back up to the plate and hit her second home run of the game to extend the lead to eight. Sophomore pitcher Keagan Rothrock managed to keep the Bulls scoreless in innings four and five to secure the run-rule win for Florida. She finished the shutout with five strikeouts and allowed just two hits in the game.
Takeaways
Across the weekend, it is clear that Florida is a rally team. When the Gators score, it comes in bunches. If they stay hot, they are one of the best lineups in college softball. But when the team goes cold, it must rely on its defense to get the job done. Although Florida is a strong defensive team, going long stretches without scoring can put pressure on its pitchers. If this team wants to remain successful down the stretch, it will need to figure out how to pull in runs when not all the bats are hot.
What’s Next
The Gators will head home this week to host Jacksonville on Tuesday and Stetson on Wednesday. Both games are set to start at 6 p.m. and are available to watch on SEC Network+ and heard on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF starting at 5:40 p.m. each day. Following the midweek matchups, Florida will stay home for the Bubly Invitational that begins Thursday.
that RBI feeling x @avajbrownn
Gators 4 | Eagles 0#GoGators pic.twitter.com/uw9BNjwvdv
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 9, 2025
