No. 13 Gators softball (20-3, 1-0 SEC) took down the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (19-2, 0-1 SEC) in the first game of SEC opening weekend.
Sophomore catcher Jocelyn Erickson reached first base on a fielding error. Junior infielder Reagan Walsh hit a double to push Erickson to third base.
Florida took an early 2-0 lead in the game after Walsh and Erickson found home plate off a hit by freshman pitcher first baseman Ava Brown in the top of the second inning.
Despite Alabama’s graduate student pitcher Kayla Beaver putting up eight strikeouts, a slow offense left the Crimson Tide scoreless.
The starting pitcher for the Gators was freshman Keagan Rothrock, who finished the game with three strikeouts.
At the bottom of the sixth inning, Rothrock went 1-2-3 to take the Crimson Tide out of the batter's box in seven pitches.
The last chance for the Crimson Tide came at the bottom of the seventh inning, but Alabama was shut down by two flyouts forced by Rothrock and a fielder’s choice by redshirt senior Skylar Wallace.
Alabama finished the game with no runs and only one hit from freshman outfielder Lauren Johnson. Florida had three hits from Walsh, Brown and Erickson.
Florida is now 42-44 all-time against the Crimson Tide.
The Gators will meet Alabama again Sunday at 6 p.m. in Tuscaloosa for the second game of the series. The game can be streamed on SEC Network.
Contact Lacey Rogers at lrogers@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @laceyyrog.
Lacey Rogers is a third-year journalism major and sports reporter for The Alligator. She is a huge Washington Capitals fan and hopes to work for them after she finishes school.
