No. 13 Razorbacks Take Game 1 Against No. 2 Gators Softball

The No. 2 Florida Gators softball team fell to No. 13 Arkansas on Friday night, 4-1, in Game 1 of the three-game SEC series at Katie Pressly Seashole Stadium. It marks Florida’s second straight loss after falling to Florida State on Wednesday in Tallahassee.

Falling Behind Quickly

The Florida heat had no affect on the Razorbacks who quickly got things going. Katelynn Oxley (5-4) gave up a double and walk to start the game, setting up baserunners for Arkansas senior Bri Ellis, the nation’s leader in home runs. Ellis blasted a three-run shot over the left field fence. Oxley battled to retire the next three batters to get out of the inning. But, the damage had been done.

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All three Gators (33-7, 6-4 SEC) batters went down in the bottom of the first, despite Kendra Falby finding her way to first on a walk. Following a Taylor Shumaker fly out, the speedy senior was caught stealing for just the second time this season. Arkansas pitcher Robyn Herron then struck out Jocelyn Erickson to keep Florida trailing after one.

The Gators gave the Razorbacks (27-7, 7-6)  a scare in the third inning by putting on Falby and Shumaker with just one out. But, Erickson and Korbe Otis could not get the ball to drop in play and Florida ended the inning still scoreless.

Getting On The Board

Shumaker went yard for a solo home run, her 14th of the season, in the sixth.

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Kara Hammock entered the game in the seventh to relieve Oxley. She worked the Razorbacks down to two outs with two runners on. With two outs, a single to left center brought a run in, increasing the Razorback lead back to three.

The Gators could not manage to score in the bottom of the inning.

Takeaways

Florida struggles to hit against good pitching. Between this game and Wednesday’s against FSU, it is clear the Gators’ lineup does in fact have problems. It is not as unbeatable as people thought at the beginning of the season. As they push further into SEC play, this lineup needs to figure out how to back up its pitcher. Yes, Oxley gave up a three-run homer in the first. But, she battled throughout the game with no backup from her offense. If this team hopes to make a push in the postseason, it will need to figure out how to get the bats going against high-caliber pitching.

Up Next

The Gators and Razorbacks play Game 2 starting at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.