To begin the season, Florida has been dominating teams, but on Saturday evening the Gators ran into trouble.
Early on in the ballgame, Florida found itself in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in five games, the Gators did not manufacture a run through the first two innings and by the fifth inning they were trailing 4-2.
But the Florida offense finally began to fire on all cylinders. The Gators put up seven runs in the frame and those runs were enough.
The fifth inning run resurgence powered No. 4 Florida (18-0) over Longwood (1-11) 12-4 on Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Florida recorded its fifth consecutive run-rule win.
In the circle, Florida used three pitchers in the victory, but most notably junior Olivia Miller delivered in the reliever role. Miller entered the circle in the fifth and was dominant in her seventh appearance this season. She held the Lancers’ offense in check only allowing one hit in two innings of work.
The Lancers struck first, courtesy of a two-run dinger by sophomore Brooke Bennett, and Florida trailed for the first time since Feb 14. against Marshall. Bennett led Longwood with three hits.
In response, senior shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan lined a two RBI double to tie the contest. Cahalan led Florida with three hits in the win.
Shortly after, the Lancers answered, courtesy of another two run homer, this time by freshman second baseman Lauren Faulkner. The longball was the first in her collegiate career.
Trailing 4-2, Florida’s offense answered and it was courtesy of drawing walks. Longwood’s starting pitcher Maggie Chapin gave up 11 walks and three came in the fifth alone. A pair of wild pitches by Chapin allowed Florida to cut the deficit to one.
Furthermore, a sacrifice fly from sophomore Gabi Comia scored Giulia Desiderio to tie the ballgame. Desiderio celebrated her birthday on Saturday.
Another wild pitch by Chapin allowed junior Madison Walker to score, giving Florida the lead 5-4.
Most notably, senior Jocelyn Erickson launched her seventh longball of the season to further the margin for the Gators 8-4. Immediately after Erickson’s homer, a pair of doubles by junior Kendall Grover and Cahalan found Florida with a comfortable 9-4 lead.
Finally, in the bottom of the sixth Florida added three more runs courtesy of a pair of wild pitches and a Grover double to seal the deal for Florida.
Florida concludes 2026 Florida Tournament play on Sunday against Middle Tennessee. First pitch is set for 11:30 a.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.
