Rothrock deals, Florida advances one win away from WCWS

Florida softball is a program largely defined by success. 

However, if there’s been one kryptonite under Gators head coach Tim Walton, it’s the Georgia Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs defeated Florida the last two times it reached and failed to make it past the Super Regionals round. Georgia swept UF in 2016 and in 2019. Since 2008, it marks the only two times Florida lost in the Super Regionals round. 

Friday was a different outcome.

Behind a phenomenal outing from Gators sophomore pitcher Reagan Rothrock, Florida picked up its first postseason win against the Bulldogs. Florida (47-14) defeated Georgia (34-22) 6-1 Friday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators are one win away from advancing to the Women’s College World Series. 

“We're just taking it one game at a time, and now we're going to focus on tomorrow,” senior first baseman Reagan Walsh said. 

Rothrock was dealing. 

Through the first two innings, Florida’s sophomore right-hander punched out four batters and surrendered just one runner on a hit by pitch.

She continued to pick off Georgia’s batters one-by-one. With the aid of Florida’s defense, the process became much more simple. 

In the fourth inning, freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker caught a towering flyball on the warning track and gunned down a runner attempting to advance to second. She fired the throw to first and recorded a double play. 

“It’s so much easier,” Rothrock said of playing behind her defense. “The game is already fun, but watching the outfield make plays like that is just incredible. [Taylor’s] awesome.”

An inning later, Georgia nearly logged its first hit when a hard ground ball tipped off the glove of Rothrock. It ricocheted toward Gators senior shortstop Rylee Holtorf who collected the slicing ball and effortlessly gunned down Marisa Miller a step before she reached first. 

It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Rothrock’s no-hit bid was snapped. 

She surrendered her first hit on a leadoff double from sophomore first baseman Emma Castorri. Castorri was Georgia’s lone runner to round the basepaths and scored on a failed pickoff attempt that soared past first base, allowing her to score easily from third. 

“It's important to do a good job of making sure we keep leadoff hitters off base,” Florida head coach Tim Walton said. “The only time they scored, they got a lead off runner on base.”

It was quite the opposite day for Georgia starting lefty Randi Roelling. 

Roelling got off to a rough start and surrendered a three-run home run to Walsh in the first frame. The sophomore pitcher allowed a runner to reach base in every inning she was on the mound and repeatedly worked her way out of jams until the fifth inning. 

“Our lineup one through nine is really scary, so you're gonna have to deal with one of us at one point,” Walsh said. 

Eventually, Florida’s bats took advantage of Roelling once again, and sophomore designated hitter Ava Brown clobbered a ball well past the center field wall and over the batter’s eye. The Gators added their final run of the contest after senior center fielder Kenda Falby hit a double through the right-center field gap to extend the Gators’ lead to 6-0. 

“I thought she settled in and kept us in the ball game and gave us a chance,” Georgia coach Tony Baldwin said. “You've got to minimize the free passes, and you got to execute your pitches. I thought in that second, third and fourth, she was doing that pretty well.”

Roelling surrendered six walks and two hit-by-pitches. Florida failed to take advantage of several free opportunities and left nine runners on base. 

Rothrock closed out the game with a scoreless seventh inning. 

Florida is one win away from reaching its 13th WCWS. The Gators will resume play against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Super Regionals round at 11 a.m. Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. 

Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.

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