In a sold-out Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, the first SEC matchup of the season for Florida had all the fixings of a marquee matchup.
That “marquee matchup” is exactly what unfolded on Saturday afternoon. The matinee saw three lead changes, and by the sixth inning, it was all square at three.
But it was none other than the top of the order duo of Taylor Shumaker and Jocelyn Erickson that delivered the dagger for Florida.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the reigning NFCA player of the week, Shumaker, singled to left field, and all eyes turned to the Gators' home run leader, Erickson.
And she came through, launching her 12th longball of the season to left center, putting Florida back on top, 5-3.
The go-ahead bomb propelled No. 5 Florida (24-1, 1-0 SEC) over the Missouri Tigers (7-13, 0-1 SEC) 5-4 on Saturday.
Junior Keagan Rothrock made her 13th start in the circle for the Gators, and it was yet another record-setting day. In the win, she recorded 10 strikeouts, marking her highest single-game total in SEC play.
After returning home from California and receiving the news that two-way star junior Ava Brown will miss significant time with a lower-leg injury, the duo of Madison Walker and Ella Wesolowski saw an increase in playing time.
And Wesolowski stepped up, getting the scoring started for Florida. In the bottom of the second, the junior launched her fourth homer of the year to put the Gators on top 1-0. The longball moved her hitting streak to five straight games.
However, the Tigers quickly responded. A pair of walks and a single by Mizzou leadoff hitter Addy Waits found Rothrock in trouble with the bases loaded.
On the first pitch she saw, Mizzou cleanup hitter Abby Hay roped a double into right center, scoring two Tigers and snatching the lead from the Gators. The junior leads the Tigers in RBIs with 16. The first baseman also excelled on defense Saturday, recording nine putouts in the loss.
Additionally, Mizzou’s offense capitalized all day by staying disciplined at the plate. The Tigers drew four walks and one hit-by-pitch, marking a season-high surrendered by Rothrock.
After leading 2-1, Mizzou wasn’t finished, as shortstop Madison Uptegrove launched her first home run of the season. It was a solo shot that barely got over the glove of left fielder Cassidy McLellan, extending the Tigers' lead by two.
But the Gators responded in the bottom half. From the nine-hole, redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas smacked a two-run homer, tying the game at three. The homer marks her second longball of the season.
Later, down to its last three outs, Mizzou’s Sidney Forrester lined a double into left to lead off the inning.
Two ground outs to Florida’s second baseman sophomore Gabi Comia allowed Forrester to score, but ultimately it was not enough as Rothrock forced a flyout to Thomas for the final out.
Florida returns to action against Missouri on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4 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.
