Friday’s middle game of the series between the No. 7 Florida Gators and the No.1 Oklahoma Sooners served as senior night for six Florida seniors: Kendra Falby, Reagan Walsh, Korbe Otis, Rylee Holtorf, Brooke Barnard and Kara Hammock.
Despite being a night to honor seniors, a freshman had the biggest hit of the evening in a 1-1 contest. Following a walk from sophomore designated player Ava Brown, a single by junior third baseman Kenleigh Cahalan and a walk from junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson two batters later, freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second.
Facing two strikes, Shumaker took a pitch from Oklahoma junior starting pitcher Kierston Deal (9-2) and shot it into the sunny skies above Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Oklahoma junior center fielder Hannah Coor ran toward the infield, but as she tracked back to the wall, the ball landed out of reach for Shumaker’s first grand slam and her 17th home run of the season.
Florida (42-13, 13-10 SEC) used this grand slam as a catalyst to defeat Oklahoma (43-6, 17-6 SEC) on Friday to even the series 9-4.
“All I can really say is that I saw a pitch to hit, and I went for it,” Shumaker said.
The Sooners opened the scoring in the top of the first on Florida senior starting pitcher Kara Hammock. Oklahoma sophomore left fielder Kasidi Pickering opened the contest with a four-pitch walk. Sophomore designated player Ella Parker followed with a double to center field. Two at-bats later, freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia opened the scoring with an RBI groundout.
Florida wasted no time responding in the bottom of the first. After junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson and Shumaker reached on one-out walks, senior first baseman Reagan Walsh took a full-count pitch and lined it into center field to even the score.
Trailing 5-1, Oklahoma responded off Hammock in the fifth inning as she held them scoreless until after the first inning. Junior center fielder Hannah Coor hit a leadoff double to left field, and she advanced to third on a wild pitch by Hammock. Following a walk from Pickering, Parker hit a three-run moonshot blast to center field to cut their deficit to one run.
Hammock (9-1) was pulled from her outing after the three-run blast. In four innings, she gave up four runs on four hits while walking five and striking out two. Freshman pitcher Katelynn Oxley and Brown combined for three scoreless innings, keeping the Sooners at the plate.
“Kara being able to go out there, get two times through the lineup, coming out we still have a lead,” Brown said. “Being able to have all hands on deck like that knowing that we can trust each other, knowing that we have each other’s backs, is the whole point of having a pitching staff.”
Florida continued its power surge with three home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Walsh started the inning with her 13th home run of the season, her first home run in 11 games. The ball made it over the left field fence and gave her team a two-run lead. Walsh passed assistant coach Francesca Enea for the second-most RBI in program history (222).
The next batter, senior left fielder Korbe Otis, reached on a single, and senior shortstop Rylee Holtorf reached on a fielder’s choice. With a runner on base, sophomore second baseman Mia Williams hit a two-run home run to left center field that landed beyond the bullpen for her team-leading 19th blast of the season. Sophomore designated player Ava Brown followed with a solo home run that went in and out of Pickering’s glove to left field, giving Florida a five-run lead.
“To be able to come out here and play a game really well for our seniors and come out and get the win, it’s almost like a confidence booster in itself,” Shumaker said.
The rubber match for this series between Florida and Oklahoma is scheduled for Saturday with first pitch slated for 5 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Contact Jackson Colding at jcolding@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Colding_Jackson.
Jackson Colding is a junior sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 softball reporter. He is in his second semester at the sports desk. In his free time, he likes playing hockey, soccer and going to the gym.
