After having to wait an extra day to face the Stetson Hatters due to rain, Florida softball continued its offensive success in its outing Thursday.
Coming off of a series win over Mississippi State, where they scored over seven runs in each of their three games, the No. 10 Gators (32-5, 7-2 SEC) shutout Stetson (12-24) 8-0.
Leading the way in the circle for Florida was freshman right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock, who only allowed two walks and one hit.
Florida had a slow start offensively with only two hits through the first two innings. Rothrock responded in the circle, allowing one hit and recording three strikeouts to keep the Hatters from crossing the plate.
In the top of the third inning, UF delivered four runs on two hits. Redshirt senior shortstop Skylar Wallace had a two-run home run to deep left field.
Junior infielder Reagan Walsh smashed a triple off of the right-field wall to score junior left fielder Korbe Otis from first base. Then, Walsh scored on an error by the third baseman to extend the lead to 4-0.
The Hatters responded in the bottom half of the third by drawing two walks, but Rothrock forced a pop-up to left field to strand the pair.
Florida added to the lead in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Otis blasted a two-run home run for her fifth of the season. Stetson managed to escape the damage but was kept scoreless as Rothrock retired the side in order in the bottom of the fourth.
With two outs and runners on second and third, freshman Ariel Kowalewski stepped in as a pinch hitter. On the first pitch, Kowaleski drove a two-run home run off of the scoreboard in left-center field.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Olivia Miller subbed in for Rothrock to end the frame in five innings. Stetson attempted to rally with two hits and managed to get the bases loaded, but the Gators escaped with an out at home.
Next, Florida will face the No. 7 Louisiana State Tigers in a three-game series matchup at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Game 1 is Saturday at 6 p.m.
Contact Hailey Hurst at hhurst@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @haileyjhurst.
Hailey Hurst is a second-year journalism major with a focus in sports media and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach and cheering for Miami sports teams.
