Much different from Friday’s run-rule victory, the Gators found themselves locked in a scoreless game in the top of the third before the offense finally found its groove.
A major reason for the breakthrough was the excellence at the plate from senior shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan. After senior first baseman Jocelyn Erickson recorded Florida’s first hit of the game, redshirt freshman left fielder Townsen Thomas drew a walk to set the stage for Cahalan.
She delivered.
On the 11th pitch of the at bat, Cahalan launched her 16th home run of the season out of Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, giving Florida a 3-0 advantage. The long ball marked her first home run in 14 games and the first NCAA Tournament homer of her career.
“I was just trying to zone in on my spot at the plate and find my pitch to hit,” Cahalan said. “I wasn’t really thinking about much. I was just trying to stay on the pitch and hit it hard. With runners on second and third, I was trying to do something productive, hit it to the right side and bring them in. Thank goodness it happened.”
Moreover, senior third baseman Kendall Grover drew a walk, and junior outfielder Cassidy McLellan lined a triple into left-center field, allowing Grover to score from first and extend the Gators’ lead to 4-0.
The four-run frame propelled No. 6 Florida (50-10) to its seventh straight run-rule victory in regional play, defeating Georgia Tech (31-28) 8-0 on Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators have now outscored opponents 20-0 through their first two regional games.
Georgia Tech served as the designated home team in Saturday morning’s contest, and sophomore right-hander Sydnie Watts set the tone immediately by retiring the Gators in order in the top of the first inning.
Once again, junior right-hander Keagan Rothrock made the start in the circle, and for the second consecutive day, she struck out two batters in the opening frame. Ultimately, she notched her sixth complete game shutout and struck out four batters.
In the second inning, the Gators loaded the bases after two errors committed by Watts and sophomore shortstop Emma Simon. However, Florida failed to capitalize as sophomore second baseman Gabi Comia grounded out to second base to end the threat.
In the bottom half of the inning, Rothrock ran into trouble after hitting senior first baseman Addison Leschber with a pitch and walking senior catcher Reese Hunter immediately afterward. Rothrock responded by inducing a 6-4 double play for the first two outs of the inning.
Despite the double play, the Yellow Jackets continued to threaten with back-to-back hits that loaded the bases. Rothrock escaped the jam by forcing a groundout to Grover at third base.
Rothrock continued her dominance after Florida grabbed the lead, retiring the Ramblin’ Wreck in order in the bottom of the third inning.
In the top of the fourth, the offense provided Rothrock with insurance runs. Erickson drew a walk, and junior designated player Ava Brown lined a double into left field, allowing Erickson to score from first and extend the advantage to 5-0. Moments later, Thomas lined a single up the middle to score Brown from second base.
The final run of the inning came on a double-steal attempt. With runners on the corners, Cahalan was picked off at first base, but the play allowed Thomas to cross home plate and extend Florida’s lead to 7-0.
Looking to enforce the run-rule, the Gators drew three walks loading the bases. Brown, the walk machine all year, drew a four-pitch free pass with the bases juiced, extending the lead 8-0.
Yellow Jackets shortstop Emma Simon looked to continue the ballgame after she led off the bottom of the fifth with her team-high second hit of the game. But Rothrock recovered and punched Florida’s ticket into the regional championship game.
Florida now awaits the winner of game five of the Regional between Georgia Tech and the winner of Texas State and Florida A&M. First pitch is scheduled for Sunday at noon from 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.
