Tag: Reagan Walsh

Florida softball’s WCWS ends in extras against No. 2 Oklahoma

Florida softball’s magical 2024 season has ended in heartbreak as the Oklahoma Sooners completed a comeback bid in extra innings to advance to the Women’s College World Series Finals.

Florida was four outs away from its first Women’s College World Series Finals appearance since 2017, but the three-time national champion Oklahoma Sooners completed a 6-5 comeback in extra innings to end the Gators’ season in heartbreaking fashion.

Jayda Coleman delivered the knockout blowout, homering to left. Florida left fielder [autotag]Korbe Otis[/autotag] got to the wall in time and leaped, but the ball was just beyond her reach.

Coleman’s blast was one of six on the day, three of which came from the Orange and Blue. [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] opened up the scoring with a two-run home run in the first, followed by Ariel Kowalewski’s two-run shot in the second.

[autotag]Reagan Walsh[/autotag] drove in the final run of the season for Florida with a solo shot to left in the third. Spirits were high. The Gators had a solid lead with their ace on the mound, but the Sooners kept chipping away at the three-run deficit.

Cydney Sanders homered in the fourth to cut the lead back down to one, and a two-out double in the sixth from Ella Parker ultimately forced extras.

It’s hard to fault Florida’s pitcher, Keagan Rothrock, even though she gave up a walk-off home run to end the season. Rothrock threw 154 pitches in her final outing as a freshman, striking out three and walking five.

The future is bright for Florida with most of the team set to return in 2025, but this is the end of the road for seniors Baylee Goddard, Avery Goelz, Katie Kistler, [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag], Emily Wilkie and Mackenzie Wooten.

Wallace will go down as one of the best to ever wear the Orange and Blue after three straight All-American seasons. She holds several program records.

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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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