Tag: Keagan Rothrock

Gators softball stays alive in WCWS with win over Oklahoma

Florida will play tomorrow against Oklahoma one more time after a big win on Monday.

Florida softball kept its national title hopes alive on Monday with a 9-3 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Women’s College World Series held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The fourth-seeded Gators powered past the second-seeded Sooners thanks to the dynamic duo of [autotag]Reagan Walsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag]. The former went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs to show for her efforts; the latter went 2-for-4 with a pair of dingers and three RBIs.

[autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] put up another solid performance from the pitcher’s circle, throwing yet another complete game allowing three runs on seven hits and seven walks while striking out four.

Oklahoma got a pair of hits from Ella Parker and Kinzie Hanson, while Tiare Jennings slugged a two-run shot for her only base hit. Three Sooners pitchers combined efforts in the loss.

Highlights from Florida softball’s win over Oklahoma in WCWS

The two teams will face each other one more time on Tuesday to decide who gets to move on to the WCWS finals. There, they will face the winner of the Texas Longhorns and Stanford Cardinals matchup played later on Monday (and possibly a second game as well if Stanford wins).

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Highlights from Florida softball’s win over Alabama in WCWS

Here’s a quick look at a few highlights from Florida’s WCWS win over Alabama on Sunday night.

Florida softball scored a huge win in the Women’s College World Series on Sunday with a 6-4 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Catcher [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] had four RBI thanks in large part to a three-run homer. Designated player [autotag]Reagan Walsh[/autotag] had two RBI and left fielder Korbe Otis reached base four times while crossing the place thrice.

Pitcher [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] needed all the support she could get against the Tide. After getting rocked in the last game, the freshman hurler turned in a complete-game performance sufficient for the Gators to move on; it was Rothcock’s 12th consecutive start and eighth complete postseason performance.

Take a look below at a handful of highlights from the Gators’ win over the Tide Sunday evening.

Florida softball survives Alabama to advance to WCWS semifinals

Alabama didn’t make it easy, but the Florida Gators softball team will live to see another game at the Women’s College World Series.

The Florida Gators are among the last four teams standing at the Women’s College World Series after taking down Alabama, 6-4, on Sunday night.

The Crimson Tide struck first, scoring an unearned run in the second and another (earned) in the third. Fortunately, Florida plated two in the top of the third to keep things knotted halfway through the contest.

Designated player [autotag]Reagan Walsh[/autotag] drove in her second run of the day in the fifth, but it was catcher [autotag]Jocely Erickson[/autotag] who delivered the biggest blow of the day in the sixth. Erickson immediately punished the defense for an error with her three-run shot.

The four-run lead made a sticky bottom of the sixth a bit more comfortable than it should have been. Alabama loaded the bases with one out and Florida starter [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag]’s stamina was wavering.

Rothrock almost got the groundball she needed to leave the inning unharmed, but a low throw to first scored the run. Another single cut the lead down to two before Rothrock got a line out to left to end the threat.

The seventh was much quieter for both sides, ending a dramatic contest between two SEC powerhouses. Rothrock polished off her 25th complete game and 32nd win of the season.

Florida faces No. 2 seed Oklahoma on Monday at noon ET with hopes of forcing a doubleheader. Two wins against the Sooners put the Gators in the Women’s College World Series Finals.

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Florida softball run ruled by No. 1 Texas at Women’s College World Series

Things started bad for Florida softball on Saturday and only got worse as the night went on. The Gators get another game in Oklahoma City, though.

The top-seeded Texas Longhorns dominated No. 4 Florida, 10-0, in a Women’s College World Series winner’s bracket game Saturday night.

Texas homered three times, scoring five runs in the first and fourth innings. Gators starter [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] lasted just 14 pitches before getting the hook. Whatever film the Longhorns watched had them ready for everything she threw, leading to Rothrock’s eighth loss of the season.

[autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag] kept the Longhorns off the board in the second and third, but things got ugly in the fourth. Mackenzie Wooten failed to record in relief of Brown before Olivia Miller got out of the inning.

Texas starter Mac Morgan had a chance at a shortened no-hitter, but Friday night’s hero, Katie Kistler, notched Florida’s only hit of the day in the top of the fifth. Morgan answered by inducing a ground ball for a double play.

Florida now played No. 14 Alabama on Sunday for a chance to play Oklahoma. the Gators would need to win twice against the Sooners to earn a spot in the College World Series Finals, but it’s one game at a time at this point in the year.

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Highlights from Florida softball’s WCWS win over Oklahoma State

Get a gander at highlights from the Gators’ epic victory in the opening game of the WCWS. 

Florida softball won a late-night thriller on Thursday against the Oklahoma State Sooners in the opening round of bracket play of the Women’s College World Series, 1-0.

Outfielder [autotag]Katie Kistler[/autotag] blasted a solo home run in the fifth inning that broke up a no-hitter while ace pitcher [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] threw a two-hit masterpiece in her WCWS debut. That lone run was enough for the Gators to earn their 13th in the last 14 games, but more importantly, moving them into the winner’s bracket of the eight-team tournament field.

Get a gander at highlights from the Orange and Blue’s epic victory in the opening game of the WCWS.

Kistler home run, Rothrock shutout puts Florida softball in WCWS winner’s bracket

A clutch home run from Katie Kistler put Florida softball over the top in a pitchers’ duel against Oklahoma State in the Women’s College World Series.

Senior [autotag]Katie Kistler[/autotag] delivered the only run of the night in Oklahoma City as Florida (51-13) defeated Oklahoma State (49-10), 1-0, in the opening round of bracket play at the Women’s College World  Series.

Kistler’s 277-foot shot nearly went foul, but it stayed inside the right field foul pole to break up a no-hit bid from Oklahoma State’s Lexi Kilfoyl, who had shut down Florida’s bats all day with her drop ball. The only other Gator hit on the evening was a one-out single from Korbe Ortis in the sixth.

One run isn’t always enough to win a playoff game, but it was on Thursday with freshman pitcher [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] on the mound. She threw a two-hit shutout in her 38th decision of the year. The Cowgirls are known to leave the ballpark, but everything in the air against Rothrock was hit softly and to a glove. She also struck out three and walked two.

Highlights from Florida softball’s WCWS win over Oklahoma State

Up next

Winning the first game in bracket play is always big, but the job is far from over. Florida doesn’t have to play on Friday, giving Rothrock an extra day of rest, but the prize is the No. 1 overall seed Texas.

If the Gators can beat the Longhorns on Saturday, they’ll be one win away from the Women’s College World Series Finals. A loss pits Florida against the winner of Oklahoma State and Stanford.

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Florida softball heading to WCWS after beating Baylor in Super Regionals

Florida outlasted Baylor in a brutal battle on Sunday to reach the Women’s College World Series.

It took the full three games but Florida’s softball team is heading to the Women’s College World Series for the 12th time in program history and first since the 2022 season after defeating the Baylor Bears in the Gainesville Super Regionals on Sunday, 5-3.

[autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] pitched her second-straight complete game while [autotag]Mia Williams[/autotag] hit an early two-run homer to help the Gators fight off a pesky Baylor team that reached the semifinals as an at-large bid.

Florida jumped out to an early lead in this one, scoring a trio of runs in the bottom of the first inning; the two teams then matched one-run efforts in the next frame while putting up goose eggs in the third and fourth innings. Baylor threatened with a run in the top of the fifth, but Florida answered in the bottom sixth and ultimately closed the door.

The Orange and Blue improved to 25-12 in NCAA Super Regional play and 6-1 in Super Regional Game 3s. Looking ahead to the championships, UF holds an overall record of 27-20 (.574) in Oklahoma City and will be looking for its third national title.

Florida will face fifth-seeded Oklahoma State in the WCWS opener on Thursday, May 30, with the start time still to be determined. The Cowgirls defeated the Gators 3-0 in a regular-season meeting on Feb. 19 in Gainesville.

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Florida drops Game 2 to Baylor, forces Super Regional rubber match

Florida softball’s 12-game winning streak — and seven-straight in postseason play — came to an abrupt end on Saturday.

Florida softball’s 12-game winning streak — and seven-straight in postseason play — came to an abrupt end on Saturday in the Gainesville Super Regionals inside Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, where the Gators fell to the Baylor Bears, 5-2.

The two teams will meet one more time on Sunday for the rubber match that decides who plays for the national championship.

The Bears opened up with a three-run home run in the first to give them all they needed to prevail over the Orange and Blue. [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag], who had started the previous nine straight games and had not lost a decision in six weeks, was simply unable to solve Baylor’s bats early on.

At the plate, Florida was paced by [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag], who went went 3-for-3 batting third in the order. On the other end of the spectrum, the Gators Nos. 1, 2 and 4 hitters combined to go 0-for-9 with three strikeouts.

Florida and Baylor will meet in their Game 3 matchup on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. ET, with the winner advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, next week. The Gators are 10-2 all-time in home Super Regionals, including 3-0 when the series has gone to a third game.

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Highlights from Florida softball’s Super Regional Game 1 win over Baylor

Here are the top photos from Florida’s Game 1 win in Gainesville on Friday.

The Florida Gators took Game 1 of the 2024 Gainesville Super Regionals on Friday with a 4-2 win over the Baylor Bears. The win was UF’s 12th straight and seventh straight in postseason play, putting the Gators one away from reaching the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

[autotag]Korbe Otis[/autotag] scored twice — once on a solo homer in the fifth — and [autotag]Katie Kistler[/autotag] had a two-run double in the first to stake host Florida to a lead it never relinquished in this one. [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] made her Super Regional debut with a solid effort, giving up two earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five for the first complete game in her last five tries.

Take a look below at highlights from Florida’s first big step toward a national championship title in 2024 after beating Baylor at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Gators softball beats Baylor Bears in NCAA Super Regionals opener

One more win and Florida will be in the College Softball World Series.

Florida softball took one step closer to a national championship on Friday with a win over the Baylor Bears in the Gainesville Super Regional held inside Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, 4-2.

The win was UF’s 12th straight and seventh straight in postseason play, putting the Gators one away from reaching the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

[autotag]Korbe Otis[/autotag] scored twice — once on a solo homer in the fifth — and [autotag]Katie Kistler[/autotag] had a two-run double in the first to stake host Florida to a lead it never relinquished in this one. [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] made her Super Regional debut with a solid effort, giving up two earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five for the first complete game in her last five tries.

[autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag] went 1-for-2 with a walk, making her 13-for-18 in the postseason (.722) while also scoring her 86th run of the season. That run was also the 303rd of her career, making the fifth-year senior the all-time scoring leader in NCAA history.

Florida and Baylor face off for Game 2 on Saturday morning starting at 11 a.m. ET in a must-win game for the Bears. If the Gators prevail, they will punch the program’s WCWS ticket for the 12th time in history — all under Coach [autotag]Tim Walton[/autotag]. Should the Orange and Blue falter, the rubber match will be on Sunday, with the time still to be determined.

Highlights from Florida softball’s Super Regional Game 1 win over Baylor

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