On Thursday, head coach Tim Walton made his message clear about what he wanted to see from his ballclub this weekend.
“I want to see us mash,” Walton said. “I want to see us drive the ball. I want to see doubles, home runs, RBIs galore.”
And Walton’s crew answered the message immediately Friday.
In particular, sophomore center fielder Taylor Shumaker excelled at the plate all afternoon. She finished with three hits, five RBIs and three runs scored. She put the cherry on top in the bottom of the fourth inning when she launched UF’s 100th home run of the season on a three-run shot, extending the advantage to 11-0.
“I mean, that’s pretty cool," Shumaker said. “We’ve done a really good job this year of keeping things simple and not paying too much attention to stuff like that.”
Ultimately, the Gators finished with eight hits, four extra-base hits and seven walks.
Behind the offensive outburst, No. 6 Florida (49-10) defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers (38-21) 12-0 Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators improved to 24-0 all-time against the Rattlers with the victory.
Once again for Florida, junior pitcher Keagan Rothrock made the start in the circle and wasted no time showcasing her dominance, striking out two FAMU hitters in the first inning. She ultimately finished with three innings pitched and six strikeouts.
Senior catcher Jocelyn Erickson got things started by driving her 16th double of the season into left-center field, and shortly after, redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas drew a walk to put runners on first and second for the Gators.
From there, senior shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan delivered UF’s first run of the afternoon when she lined an RBI ground-rule double that allowed Erickson to score from second. The Gators later loaded the bases courtesy of a hit-by-pitch to senior third baseman Kendall Grover but were unable to cash in as junior right fielder Cassidy McLellan flew out to left field to end the threat.
Making her 24th start in the circle for the Rattlers was junior Zoryana Hughes, who struggled to find the zone throughout the afternoon. She surrendered six earned runs, issued four walks and threw just 28 strikes on 66 pitches.
In the second inning, Rothrock continued her dominance in the circle, striking out two more Rattlers and retiring the side in order for the second consecutive frame.
After stranding the bases loaded in the opening inning, UF looked for more insurance runs and found them in the bottom of the second. Junior first baseman Madison Walker drew a leadoff walk, and sophomore second baseman Gabi Comia laid down a bunt single to advance Walker to second.
Batting from the leadoff spot, Shumaker lined an opposite-field single into left-center, scoring Walker and extending the advantage to 2-0. Once again, the Gators loaded the bases after Erickson drew a walk, and this time they capitalized.
Junior designated player Ava Brown waited patiently for her pitch and launched a 2-2 changeup into left-center field to drive in two more runs. The final run of the inning came when Thomas lifted a sacrifice fly to left fielder Jordan Douglas, allowing Erickson to score from third.
Defensively, Erickson showcased her shutdown arm in the top of the third inning. Florida A&M pinch runner Sakiya Merriex attempted to steal second base, but Erickson’s throw beat her easily to end the inning.
Needing three more runs to enforce the run rule, McLellan drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third, and Comia recorded her second infield single of the afternoon shortly after. That set the stage for Shumaker once again, and she delivered with her second RBI single of the game, scoring McLellan from second.
Shortly after, a defensive collapse by the Rattlers allowed two more runs to score. With runners on the corners, Shumaker and Comia executed a double steal, and a throwing error by shortstop Amari Brown allowed Shumaker to advance home and extend the advantage to 8-0.
“Going into tomorrow, the nerves should be gone,” Brown said. “This was our first time on a stage this big, so a couple of us were a little nervous heading into today. But now it’s about keeping everyone upbeat and just playing the game the way we know how.”
In the fourth inning, sophomore Katelynn “Red” Oxley entered the circle in relief for the Gators but surrendered the first hit of the afternoon when freshman second baseman Amya Ramos lined a bloop single into shallow right field. Oxley quickly recovered and retired the next two hitters.
The Gators final run of the contest came in the bottom of the fourth when Thomas singled to first base, allowing Erickson to score her third run of the afternoon.
Freshman right-hander Leah Stevens entered in relief for Florida in the top of the fifth and shut the door on the Rattlers.
Florida now awaits the winner of No. 2 seed Texas State and No. 3 seed Georgia Tech on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.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.
