After once having a five-run lead and then trailing by two, the seventh inning was a rollercoaster of emotions for Florida.
Trailing 9-7 and down to its final three outs, junior Madison Walker led off the inning with a single to right field, and Giulia Desiderio was called upon to pinch-hit. The senior delivered, launching her first home run in a Gator uniform and tying the contest at nine.
That prompted junior Olivia Miller to re-enter the circle for the second time Friday night, but despite her earlier success, she couldn’t replicate it in the seventh.
An error by left fielder Townsen Thomas allowed Natalie Ray to reach, and a double from Kierstin Roose put runners on second and third with one out.
The stage was set for Jaydyn Goodwin, and she delivered, lining a walk-off single up the middle.
Behind the clutch swing, No. 6 Florida (47–8, 17–6 SEC) fell in heartbreaking fashion to No. 17 Georgia (35–17, 11–12 SEC), 10–9, on Friday night at Jack Turner Softball Stadium. The 10 runs marked the most allowed by Florida’s pitching staff in SEC play this season.
Everything was on the line Friday night. Earlier in the day, conference leader Oklahoma fell to Texas A&M, 9-5, keeping Florida in contention for its 10th SEC title. For that to happen, Florida would need to sweep Georgia and have Oklahoma drop its series.
Unlike Thursday night’s long ball-heavy matchup where both pitchers were in control, Friday's contest featured early fireworks.
UGA starter Addison Fisher issued a pair of walks, including one to senior Jocelyn Erickson with one out. A single from senior Kendall Grover moved Erickson into scoring position, and redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas, batting cleanup, extended her hitting streak to 14 games to load the bases.
As she has done all season, Brown packed her patience and drew a walk that gave Florida a 1-0 lead. Moments later, junior Cassidy McLellan followed with an infield single, pushing across a second run.
The left-hander Miller notched third start of the season in the circle, but ran into trouble early.
Fresh off her 2-3 night on Thursday, second baseman Kierstin Roose led off the inning with a double, and right fielder Sarah Gordon lined a ball that the left fielder Thomas misread, resulting in a double that scored Roose.
From there, first baseman Gabi Novickus tied the game with a single through the left side, scoring Gordon.
It was once again the duo of Thomas and Brown driving in runs for Florida. In the top of the second, Thomas stepped up with the bases loaded and lined a single up the middle that brought two home. Brown followed with a single to center that rolled under Georgia center fielder Natalie Ray, allowing two more runs to score.
In the top of the third, junior first baseman Madison Walker added on, launching her eighth home run of the season to extend the lead to 7-2.
The two-way star, Brown, returned to the circle in the bottom of the fifth. But the right-hander’s first appearance since Feb. 21 marked the start of a disastrous frame for the Gators.
Goodwin led the frame off with a double into right-center, and a single by designated player Tyler Ellison put runners on the corners.
Novickas recorded her second RBI of the night, lining a single to right field to score Goodwin. Emma Castorri then capitalized on a pinch-hit opportunity, driving a double into right-center that brought Ellison home and cut the deficit to 7-4.
That ended Brown’s outing in the circle. Sophomore Katelynn “Red” Oxley entered in relief but struggled to find the zone. She issued a walk to load the bases and fell behind the next hitter before being pulled in favor of junior Allison Sparkman.
Sparkman induced a popout in foul territory to move to two outs and it appeared UF would find its way out of the jam, but the ninehole hitter Rey singled up the middle, scoring two runs and cutting Florida’s lead to one.
A walk issued by Sparkman tied the game and brought her outing to an end. Junior Keagan Rothrock entered in relief, but Gordon followed with a go-ahead single up the middle, driving in two runs and completing the comeback.
The decisive rubber match is set for Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. at Jack Turner Softball 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.
