The game was tied 1-1 in the fourth. Georgia Tech’s starter, sophomore Sydnie Watts, thought she recorded her second strikeout of the day, but softball is a game of inches, and the count moved to 3-2.
Then, junior Cassidy McLellan launched a go-ahead opposite-field home run that hit off left fielder Alyssa Willer’s glove, giving Florida a 2-1 lead.
Georgia Tech head coach Aileen Morales argued that a fan interfered with Willer’s glove on the homer. Shortly after, she was ejected from the game, firing up the home crowd.
McLellan’s round-tripper was enough, as on day three of the 2026 Florida Classic, No. 4 Florida (12-0) cruised to a comfortable 5-1 victory over Georgia Tech (6-6) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Overall, the Gators launched 15 home runs across the three-day event.
Florida head coach Tim Walton was proud of the way his team has faced adversity early on in the season.
“And adversity, whatever the circumstances may be. I think we've shown the ability to just continue the grind, do your job. Don't make things bigger than they are,” Walton said.
Freshman Leah Stevens made her first career start in the circle, and it was a memorable one. She went four innings and only surrendered one run. The Palm Coast, Florida, native forced weak contact and relied on the defense behind her.
“I know that my defense always has my back, and there's always a chance that they're going to pull a hat trick and they're going to do something amazing and get an out for me when I really need it,” Stevens said following her first career victory.
Both offenses got off to slow starts as neither team recorded a hit through the first two frames. That all changed in the third inning. Florida had two runners on and senior third baseman Kendall Grover drove in a RBI single to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
Grover has been the star of the weekend for Florida. Across the five games, she had three multi-hit games, 11 RBIs and four longballs.
“Well, obviously, on Friday, I didn't have my best day, And coach [Aric] Thomas texted me and said, Hey, let's watch some film, just slight adjustments. And then I was able to find my groove from there” Grover said.
The Yellow Jackets answered in the top of the fourth when senior Addison Leschber roped a solo shot to tie the contest.
In response, Missouri transfer junior Madison Walker picked up her first dinger in a Florida uniform when she launched a two-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead 5-1.
Florida returns to action on Tuesday against North Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
Zach is a sophomore sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator, covering softball. He also has experience as an intern in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Zach enjoys watching sports in his free time, primarily the Minnesota Vikings, Orlando Magic, and Arsenal FC.
