A quick start is exactly what No. 4 Florida needed after its 1-1 day on Friday.
The lineup delivered just that and recorded an eight spot in the first frame.
But the Gators weren’t finished. In the second inning, it happened again, and Florida found itself with a 16-0 lead.
The dominant start propelled No. 4 Florida (23-1) to a 21-1 rout of Oregon State (9-10) on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Family Field. The Gators finish non-conference play 23-1 heading into SEC play next weekend.
Overall, the Florida offense recorded 21 hits, and six Gators had multi-hit performances.
Among them was Taylor Shumaker. The sophomore has had quite the homecoming, posting fifteen hits and 19 RBIs over the weekend. She also recorded four home runs, including one in the victory on Saturday.
The Fullerton, California, native set the tone by leading off the game with a single to left field.
Moments later, senior Jocelyn Erickson crushed her 11th home run of the season, and junior Kendall Grover followed with a solo shot and made Florida’s lead 3-0. Later that inning, Erickson recorded an RBI double.
Shortly after, sophomore Gabi Comia recorded her seventh double on the year, scoring two more Gators. The doubles didn’t stop for the shortstop as she recorded two more later on in the contest, tallying four hits on the day.
Then, redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas drove in Comia, putting Florida up 8-0. The centerfielder had four RBIs in the win and recorded ten hits over the five-game stretch
In the circle, Florida ace junior Keagan Rothrock shut down the Beavers’ offense. She hurled six strikeouts while only allowing one walk. Saturday marked the ninth time the junior had had five or more strikeouts in an appearance.
The back-to-back homers continued for Florida in the bottom of the second. The duo of Kendall Grover and Madison Walker both hit solo shots to further the Florida advantage. The juniors both recorded RBIs again later in the inning.
The outfield duo of Thomas and Shumaker complemented each other outstandingly offensively in the win. In the third, Thomas recorded a single up the middle scoring Comia, and that set up Shumaker’s fourth longball of the trip, making Florida’s lead 18-0.
In the fourth, the pair recorded their fourth RBIs of the day to conclude the phenomenal performance.
Florida returns home to begin SEC play against Missouri on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
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.
