After Florida softball flashed its offensive capability in a 10-9 win over Auburn Thursday, the Gators’ bats went cold against the Alabama Crimson Tide Friday. UF left 10 batters stranded on base and finished hitting 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Logging only three hits, Florida (48-10) fell to Alabama (49-6), 9-1, in the SEC Tournament semifinal at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
Alabama turned to freshman right-hander Vic Moten, who allowed just one run through five innings. Though she walked two consecutive batters in the first and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, Moten struck out three-straight Gators to work a scoreless first inning.
The freshman walked two straight again in the second before working a groundout, but sophomore Gabi Comia walked to load the bases. However, Moten worked out of the jam by striking out sophomore center fielder Taylor Shumaker and forcing senior Jocelyn Erickson to fly out in left field’s foul territory.
The third inning is when the Gators plated their first and only run of the game. Moten walked the leadoff hitter for the third-straight inning, and redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas doubled to left-center field. UF junior Madison Walker followed with an RBI groundout that cut the deficit to three, 4-1, but the Gators failed to capitalize.
Moten worked into another bases-loaded jam in the fifth but continued to shut down a Gators’ lineup that went 0-for-4 with the bases loaded.
Freshman righty Leah Stevens got the start for Florida and, like Moten, allowed two runners aboard early. Alabama junior Jena Young led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, and Stevens issued a four-pitch walk to sophomore Brooke Wells before logging a strikeout.
An error by Shumaker left the bases loaded with one out, but Stevens struck out two straight to shut the door in the first.
Then, the Crimson Tide jumped in front. Freshman Ambrey Taylor blasted a solo home run to dead center before Stevens hit a batter and walked two in the second inning.
Alabama freshman Ana Roman knocked an RBI single to right field with the bases loaded, and senior Marlie Giles followed with a two-run double that went off the glove of a diving Thomas in left.
Stevens eventually worked out of the inning, but not before Alabama had taken a commanding 4-0 lead.
Junior lefty Olivia Miller relieved Stevens with two outs in the third but surrendered an RBI double and RBI single to Young and senior Alexis Pupillo, respectively, as the Crimson Tide surged ahead 6-1.
Sophomore right-hander Katelynn Oxley entered the game and allowed RBI doubles off the bats of Pupillo and Vandagriff in the fifth, as Florida continued to waver. From there, it didn’t take long for Alabama’s Taylor to end the game in run-rule fashion, 9-1, with an RBI single.
Florida will now turn its attention to the NCAA Division I softball tournament, while Alabama faces the winner of Georgia and Texas in the SEC Tournament championship Saturday.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a junior sports journalism student in his fourth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports desk's football and enterprise beat writer, and previously served as a reporter for men's tennis, sports enterprise and football. He is currently pursuing a public relations minor and is an avid Duval sports fan. (#DTWD)
