Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead, the No. 7 Florida Gators softball team needed to separate themselves from the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners in the rubber match of the series.
Sophomore pitcher Ava Brown stepped up to the plate, looking to add to the score before closing out the contest in the circle. She lifted a 2-1 pitch onto the red roof of the bullpen for a solo home run, her eighth home run of the season. Florida was not done in the bottom of the sixth inning. Senior center fielder Kendra Falby hit a single, and junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson reached on a fielder’s choice throwing error by Oklahoma senior starting pitcher Sam Landry. Freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker then walked to load the bases with one out.
After Oklahoma junior catcher Isabela Emerling committed a passed ball, Falby raced home and avoided the tag to give the Gatorsa three-run lead. Senior first baseman Reagan Walsh then reached on an RBI fielder’s choice as senior pinch-runner Brooke Barnard beat the tag at home plate to give her team a four-run lead.
Florida (43-13, 14-10 SEC) used the three-run sixth inning to defeat Oklahoma (43-7, 17-7 SEC) in Saturday’s rubber match 6-4. This was the first series win for Florida against a No. 1 opponent in program history.
Unlike the first two contests in the series, Florida opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. With one out, junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson reached on a walk, and freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker hit an RBI double out of the reach of Oklahoma senior first baseman Cydney Sanders, putting runners on second and third with one out.
Florida senior first baseman Reagan Walsh opened the scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly on a 1-0 pitch. The play placed Walsh first in program history for sacrifice flies.
In the top of the second inning, gold-glove winning senior center fielder Kendra Falby made an electric play in center field. Sanders took a 1-1 pitch and lifted it to center field. Falby raced back, reached over the wall and caught the ball to steal a game-tying home run from Sanders.
“We practice it [scaling the fence] all the time,” Falby said. “Coach Thomas will be in center field, and he’ll hit us balls over the wall in practice.”
Her catch helped keep the momentum of the contest in her team’s favor.
“Recognize just how dang special Kendra Falby is in the outfield,” UF Coach Tim Walton said. “I mean, what a day she had, and the weekend she had for us, defensively.”
In the bottom of the third, Erickson reached on a walk, Shumaker singled and Walsh walked to load the bases on Landry (18-4). Facing two strikes, senior left fielder Korbe Otis hit a two-run double to center field just out of reach for the diving junior center fielder Hannah Coor.
In the top of the fourth, Sanders was able to get the best of Florida sophomore starting pitcher Keagan Rothrock. She hit a solo home run on a full-count pitch to score Oklahoma’s first run of the contest.
In the top of the fifth, Oklahoma was able to get within one run. Sophomore right fielder Kasidi Pickering hit a double.Sophomore designated player Ella Parker hit a single to put runners on first and third with no outs before freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia hit an RBI sacrifice fly.
Rothrock (12-5) pitched four innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking two. Brown came into the contest after Parker’s single and pitched the final three innings in relief, giving up two runs on one hit while striking out one batter on three walks.
“I think there’s an upward trend for me and, just knowing that coming off this weekend, it’s a huge one,” Rothrock said on her confidence.
After allowing a leadoff walk to Parker in the top of the seventh, Garcia hit a two-run home run to center field to cut Oklahoma’s deficit back down to two runs. Despite allowing back-to-back walks with two outs in the inning, Brown was able to secure her fourth save.
Florida’s next action will be in the SEC Tournament at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia, with its game date and seeding still to be determined.
Contact Jackson Colding at jcolding@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Colding_Jackson.
Jackson Colding is a junior sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 softball reporter. He is in his second semester at the sports desk. In his free time, he likes playing hockey, soccer and going to the gym.
