After a two-hour lightning delay at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it was evident that the energy had been sucked out of the stadium, and that showed on the field.
Through five innings, the Gators’ bats were hitless, and the Bulldogs only managed four hits of their own. But the tides turned in the bottom of the sixth in favor of the Gators.
With two outs, senior Jocelyn Erickson drew a four-pitch walk, and that set the stage for the cleanup hitter, senior Kenleigh Cahalan.
The shortstop ended the no-hitter and launched a rocket over the centerfield wall, notching her 15th homer of the season to put Florida up 2-0.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the season came immediately after the return of Florida two-way star, junior Ava Brown.
After suffering what many believed to be a season-ending lower leg injury on Feb. 26, Brown returned to a standing ovation. While her lone at-bat resulted in a popout to second base, her presence alone restored hope that the dynamic player is back.
Cahalan’s long ball propelled No. 5 Florida (35-4, 10-3 SEC) over No. 13 Mississippi State (32-8, 4-6 SEC) 2-0 on Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The victory marks UF’s third straight win over Mississippi State, and it will search for its fourth straight series victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Heading into Friday, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff ranked 2nd in the nation in team earned run average, holding a 1.37 ERA as a unit. The dominant staff turned to the reigning National Pitcher of the week in every major poll: Peja Goold.
However, at the plate, the Bulldog offense ranks 13th in the SEC in team batting average, just breaking the 200 mark with a .207 batting average, compared to the Gators third-best SEC batting average of .297.
Nonetheless, something had to give in the top-25 showdown.
It appeared the Bulldogs would strike early after loading the bases with one out, but junior Kendall Grover and senior Jocelyn Erickson had other plans. Mississippi State’s left fielder Morgan Bernardini grounded to Grover, who fired home to Erickson. The catcher then relayed to junior Madison Walker at first, turning a 5–2–3 double play to end the threat.
Despite the trouble in the first, junior Keagan Rothrock recovered and cruised through the rest of the victory with ease. She notched her 18th win of the season in the circle and lowered her season ERA to 2.40.
On the opposing side, Goold was spectacular in the circle despite the go-ahead homer as she recorded three strikeouts and only surrendered four baserunners.
The Gators will search for their fourth SEC series victory 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.
