No. 8 Gators Softball Falls At No. 19 Ole Miss

After winning the first two games of the series, the No. 6 Florida Gators fell short of making it a sweep when the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels won 8-6 in Oxford, Miss. Both ranked SEC teams garnered nine hits and two home runs each Sunday afternoon.

The first three innings featured scoreless softball with Florida starter Keagan Rothrock (10-3) and Ole Miss starter Brianna Lopez (8-2) allowing little to no traffic on the basepath.

In the fourth inning, the Rebels finally got to Florida’s ace by scoring five runs, including a grand slam by Aliyah Binford. In the fifth inning, Ole Miss (31-11, 7-8 SEC) extended the lead to 6-0 when Ashton Lansdell hit a pinch-hit solo home run.

Florida (37-9, 9-6) finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth when Mia Williams hit a three-run home run to cut the deficit to three. It was Williams’ third home run of the series. Williams passed freshman sensation Taylor Shumaker for the team lead in home runs with 16 this season.

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In the bottom of the sixth, Ole Miss went right back to work at the plate by scoring two more runs to make it 8-3.

The Gators tried to have some late-game magic in the top of the seventh. Down to their final two outs, Jocelyn Erickson hit a three-run home run to make it a two-run ballgame. But that was all Florida would do, as Lopez sealed the deal.

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Despite giving up six runs, Lopez pitched a complete game while allowing nine hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

Meanwhile, Rothrock pitched four innings while giving up five hits and five runs with four strikeouts and three walks. Rothrock now holds a 12-4 career record in SEC play. Her career record overall is 43-11. Olivia Miller and Katelynn Oxley both pitched an inning in relief. Both pitchers gave up an earned run and each recorded one strikeout.

Three Florida players recorded multi-hit games, including Erickson, Shumaker and Korbe Otis. Otis is on a team-best seven game hitting streak.

Up Next

The Gators will return to Gainesville for a three-game series against the No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide starting Thursday at 6 p.m. (SEC Netwok).