The final home series of SEC play marks a bittersweet moment, senior weekend.
On Saturday, the four seniors will be honored, and one stood out among all the night before the big day, shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan.
At the plate, she recorded a season-high in SEC play with four runners batted in.
Holding a 4-1 lead, Cahalan stepped up to the plate and lined in her third and fourth RBIs of the day, extending Florida’s advantage 6-1.
Moreover, junior Ava Brown launched her first homerun since returning from injury to widen the margin 7-1.
Ultimately, No. 4 Florida (42-5, 15-4 SEC) grabbed Game 1 against Auburn (23-20, 2-14 SEC) 9-1 on Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The run-rule marks the first at home in SEC play for UF.
Heading into Friday, the Tigers had only managed to score two runs in their previous two SEC series and were on a 12-game SEC losing streak, with their last win coming over a month ago on March 7 against Kentucky.
But the struggling offense found its stride immediately. Alyssa Hastings forced a four-pitch walk, and Haven Roebuck lined a two-out triple off the right field wall, allowing Hastings to score from first.
Despite the first-inning troubles, UF starting pitcher junior Keagan Rothrock settled in, hurling a five-inning complete game, and recording four strikeouts.
In search of an immediate answer, Cahalan lined a two-out single into right field, and redshirt freshman left fielder Townsen Thomas followed with a single of her own. However, junior Kendall Grover flew out to deep center, ending the threat.
Auburn starting pitcher, left-hander SJ Geurin, kept Florida’s offense in check early. In the bottom of the second, she recorded back-to-back strikeouts, but quickly lost command in the third.
Geurin issued a leadoff walk to sophomore second baseman Gabi Comia, and sophomore center fielder Taylor Shumaker followed with a backside single, ending the left-hander’s day.
Auburn turned to another left-hander, Abby Herndon, but she was unable to escape the bases-loaded jam. Cahalan gave Florida the lead with a single to right field, scoring Comia and Shumaker.
Thomas extended the advantage with an infield single to shortstop, and Brown added a fielder’s choice that brought home Cahalan, capping a four-run inning for the Gators. The RBI marked Brown’s first in SEC play.
Florida put the game away in the bottom of the fifth. After Brown’s home run pushed the lead to 7-1, the Gators needed two more runs to trigger the run rule, and Comia delivered, lining her 12th double to drive in two and end the contest.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday, when Florida will honor its four seniors. First pitch is set for 3 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.
