It is well known that early on in the season, Florida has excelled at leaving the yard.
Throughout their first 13 games, the Gators recorded 27 longballs, and that number only grew on Wednesday night. Florida hit five home runs in the win and now ranks second in the nation in the category.
Most notably, senior Jocelyn Erickson had two bombs on the night and is tied for first on the Gators with six on the season.
The five dingers were plenty as No. 4 cruised to a run-rule victory over North Florida 10-0 at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium. Florida outscored UNF 17-3 over the two-game stretch.
Florida’s offense threatened early. Sophomore Taylor Shumaker walked to begin the contest, and Erickson grabbed her first homer on the night, giving Florida a 2-0 advantage.
Shortly after, senior shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan joined the home run party and made the lead 3-0. Cahalan went 3-4 on the night and notched her fifth longball of the year.
But the Gators weren’t finished. None other than reigning NFCA Player of the Week, Kendall Grover, delivered again. The junior launched her sixth home run of the season in the second inning, scoring Erickson and extending Florida’s lead to a comfortable 5–0.
On her birthday, junior Ava Brown got the ball in the circle, and it turned into a night to remember. She delivered her best performance of the season, tossing five strong innings and improving to 4–0 on the year.
Brown did not just shine in the circle on Wednesday. She hit a missile onto the UNF lacrosse field behind left field to make the margin 7-0. In the win, she also forced three walks and leads the team with 16 walks.
However, in the bottom of the third, the Ospreys began to threaten the lead. UNF’s Kalyn McCarthy led off the inning with a double, and Brown quickly found the bases loaded. She recovered and forced a groundout to end the frame.
In response, sophomore Gabi Comia recorded her 20th hit of the season to score junior Cassidy McLellan. Comia is batting .500 to start the year.
With the game well in hand, Erickson blasted her second home run of the night, and shortly after, McLellan added an RBI double to extend the lead to 10–0.
Florida returns to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Friday against Longwood. First pitch is set for 3:30 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.
