No. 2 Florida Softball Drops Series To No. 13 Arkansas

A grand slam was not enough this time. Following a Game 2 loss in walk-off fashion Saturday, the No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks fought back, 9-5, to take Game 3 and the series against the No. 2 Florida Gators on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Trading Blows Early

With the bad taste of the 10-7 loss in dramatic fashion, the Razorbacks came out swinging to start the game. A Mia Williams error and an intentional walk allowed two runners on. Both willed their way into scoring position and were brought home when Arkansas catcher Kailey Wyckoff doubled to right field. With half an inning in the books, 2-0 Arkansas.

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The Gators (34-8, 7-5 SEC), however, did not allow the momentum to swing too far in the other direction. Kendra Falby started the bottom of the inning with a walk, before promptly stealing second. One passed ball later, Falby found herself standing on third with Taylor Shumaker at the plate. The Razorbacks  (28-8, 8-7) walked the freshman who followed her outfield counterpart and stole second. Arkansas pitcher Reis Beuerlein gave up her third straight walk to Jocelyn Erickson. In deja vu fashion, Korbe Otis again found herself up to bat with the bases loaded.

The senior, unfortunately for UF, could not match her previous night’s accomplishment, fouling out to third for the first out of the inning. Reagan Walsh was more than ready to pick up the slack. The California-native blasted a no-doubter over the center field fence to clear the bases for a 4-2 Gators lead.

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Razorbacks Battle Back

The action subsided in the second. But the Razorbacks didn’t stay quiet for long. In the third, a single and intentional walk put two runners on as third baseman Ella McDowell strutted up to the plate. The freshman doubled to left-center field to bring in a run to cut into the Gators’ lead. Katelynn Oxley stayed strong in the circle by forcing back-to-back flyouts to escape the inning with a one-run lead.

After a scoreless fourth, McDowell returned to the plate in the fifth, again with two runners on. With the only difference being Olivia Miller in the circle for Oxley, the freshman carbon copied her heroics in the third. She hit a double into the right-center gap to bring in a run that tied the game. Just four batters into her pitching stint, Miller was pulled from the circle in favor of fellow sophomore Ava Brown.

REVENGE

Following Ellis' third intentional walk of the day, @EllaMcDowell_6 ties the game with an RBI double! pic.twitter.com/rRuk4G2ws1

— Arkansas Softball (@RazorbackSB) April 6, 2025

The Gators’ troubles did not end with a pitching change. The Razorbacks recaptured the lead just one batter later on a Wyckoff sacrifice fly. They kept on rolling by scoring again on another double to right center. Brown forced a groundout on the next play to get out of the inning. But the damage had already been done. The Gators now found themselves trailing by two heading into the bottom of the fifth.

A Fight To The Finish

A Shumaker fly out was not the vote of confidence the Gators hoped for to start the inning. Jocelyn Erickson, however, doesn’t seem to lack confidence. The 2024 SEC Player of the Year cut into the lead with just one swing, a solo shot over the right field fence. She ran the bases pointing the ball out of the park to signal to her teammates that they weren’t done yet. Arkansas limited the damage to just her and kept its lead intact to end the inning.

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Brown calmly sat the Razorbacks down in four batters to open the sixth. In the home half, Williams led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a Gabi Comia sac bunt. Two batters later, Falby willed her way on, running out a single to the shortstop. Shumaker stepped up to the plate, poised to be the hero for the Gators. But, Reagan Johnson was not interested in heroics. The Arkansas center fielder pulled what should have been a home run back into the ballpark to preserve her team’s lead.

Things took a turn for the worse for the Gators in the seventh inning. The Razorbacks quickly loaded the bases with no outs. A single to center field brought in one run for a 7-5 Razorbacks lead. Falby let a pop fly drop in center to try to get the runner, but to no avail, 8-5 Razorbacks. After a fielder’s choice scored another, Williams got the Gators out of the inning on a double play.

The Gators got some runners on in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough to come back from the deficit. The Razorbacks took the game and the series for the third consecutive time against UF.

What’s Next

The Gators head to DeLand on Wednesday for a matchup against Stetson. Game time is set for 6 p.m. and it will be broadcast on ESPN+.