Florida’s bats haven’t quite lived up to its expectations across its last week of play. The Gators cruised through the Regionals round with three-straight 8-0 mercy-rules against Florida Atlantic and Mercer. However, as competition has picked up in its last four games, Florida has failed to score in similar spurts as it did during the regular season.
Against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Super Regionals round, Florida tallied 12 runs but left 36 runners on base across the series.
It wasn't quite the same case against the Texas Longhorns Thursday. In Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series, the Gators (48-16) were shutout against the Longhorns (52-11) 3-0 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Florida recorded just two hits and put four runners on base.
Texas sophomore right-hander Teagan Kavan pitched a complete game and pitched primarily to contact, striking out only one batter across seven innings. The heart of Florida’s lineup — Reagan Walsh, Kendra Falby and Jocelyn Erickson — all finished hitless.
There was just one instance where the Gators even had a runner in scoring position. In the first inning, NFCA Freshman of the Year Taylor Shumaker walked and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. She was the lone Florida batter to reach base twice during the game when she singled to Kavan in the sixth inning.
The Gators’ six final batters went hitless and UF finished the game with 12 groundouts and only five outs went into the outfield.
On the opposite side of the field, it was just as much of a struggle for Texas’ hitters against right hander Keagan Rothrock until the sixth frame.
Rothrock surrendered a solo home run to graduate student first baseman Joley Mitchell in the second inning but kept it a 1-0 ballgame until the top of the sixth. Texas recorded just three hits before hitting back-to-back home runs to begin the inning.
Mitchell hit another solo home run that landed just out of the reach of Florida center fielder Kendra Falby’s glove. Falby leapt up and reached her arm past the center field wall, falling inches shy of robbing a home run.
Then, six pitches later, sophomore left fielder Katie Stewart crushed a pitch to right center field for another solo home run. It was a deflating finish to a game that significantly impacted Florida’s title hopes. Eighty-five percent of WCWS winners have gone 2-0 before the finals.
The Gators will face either Oklahoma or Tennessee in Game 2 of the WCWS at 7 p.m. Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke Adragna is working his fifth semester at The Alligator and returns as the Summer 2025 assistant sports editor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his cat Pete and researching niche professional athletes (shoutout Jacquizz Rodgers).
