Gators punch back against Baylor, 1 game away from Oklahoma City

Katie Kistler launches 2-run double in first inning vs. Baylor (Photo by Chris Spears)

The Baylor Bears intended to send a loud and clear message in the top of the first inning Friday afternoon. They bunched three hits, pushed across a run and loaded the bases before Florida’s Keagan Rothrock could escape further damage on a third out fly ball to left field that Korbe Otis hauled in just shy of the fence. Baylor came to play and that 1-0 lead announced to the crowd shoehorned into Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium that they weren’t the least bit impressed with the 4th-seeded Gators.

Baylor landed the first punch. It was time for Florida to respond.

With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Korbe Otis was hit with a pitch, Skylar Wallace walked and Jocelyn Erickson slapped a double down the left field line that scored Otis to tie the game. One out later, Katie Kistler lined a two-run double into the left center field gap to put the Gators ahead for good, 3-1.

Take a punch. Counter punch. Florida’s counter was a staggering body blow.

“We get punched in the face and we punch back twice,” Walton said after the 4th-seeded Gators scored a methodical 4-2 win over Baylor in game one of the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional. “I’m really pleased with that mentality.”

Florida’s response resonated well with Rothrock. That first inning was teetering on the verge of disaster shaky, but the counter punch spoke volumes. Baylor did get one run back on Aliyah Binder’s third inning home run that hit the left field foul pole, but the Bears never had more than one runner on base the rest of the way.

While improving to 29-6 on the season, Rothrock scattered six hits, struck out five and went the last six innings without issuing a walk. It was an impressive outing, but she wasn’t at all pleased with the way she started the game.

“Because I gave up a run, not cool,” Rothrock said.

The 2022 Gatorade National Player of the Year at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, Rothrock is accustomed to pitching in big games and winning championships. When she was in high school, any time she needed an out she could dial up an untouchable fast ball. Having to deal with the compartment syndrome has affected her leg drive, which, in turn, has affected her velocity.

Now it’s all about location and spin.

“She’s a spin kid,” Walton said. “Her spin stuff is stupid, and so she's lost a little bit of that just because of the way her impact in the ground. But long story short, yeah, it looks like a blow-up by you, but her 66 with the best spin you've ever seen looks like 100 sometimes.”

Part of the ongoing process in Rothrock’s transition from strikeout dominant to pitch to contact has been the trust she has developed with teammates. She knows they’re capable of scoring however many runs necessary to win a game, whether that’s a low scoring affair or a wild one like that 15-13 win over Florida State in Tallahassee.

Saturday wasn’t a vintage day at the plate for the Gators, whose only other run came in the bottom of the fifth when Korbe Otis golfed a home run over the left field fence, her ninth big fly of the season. That run was insurance and Rothrock didn’t need much. You wouldn’t call her performance dominating, but it was efficient. The defense worked well behind her and Baylor couldn’t mount threats after the first inning.

Walton’s message to Rothrock, “You don’t have to be perfect. Just make the pitches. Give us your best effort and I think that’s all we ask for.”

The Gators can punch their ticket to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series today at 11 a.m. when they face Baylor in game two.

Record-setting Wallace: Skylar Wallace scored for the 86th time this season to become the all-time NCAA leader with 303. Her 86 runs leads the nation.

“To score that many runs tells you how good she is and how many times she's been on base, but I think one of the coolest things about that, too, is it takes somebody else to drive her in,” Walton said. “With the exception of the South Florida, maybe another game where she stole second and somehow scored on her own on a wild throw, she's relied upon her teammates to set that record. I'm proud of her. It's a tremendous accomplishment.”

Wallace went 1-2 for the game, raising her batting average to .413. She also stole her 35th base of the year.  

SEC softball scores

Gainesville regional: FLORIDA (50-12) 4, Baylor (35-22) 2; Florida leads best-of-3 series, 1-0

Austin regional: Texas A&M (43-13) 6, Texas (50-8) 5; Texas A&M leads best-of-3 series, 1-0

Knoxville regional: Tennessee (44-10) 3, Alabama (35-18) 2; Tennessee leads best-of-3 series, 1-0

Los Angeles regional: UCLA (42-10). Georgia (43-19) X; UCLA wins series, 2-0.

Columbia regional: Duke (51-6) 6, Missouri (47-17) 3; Duke leads best-of-3 series, 1-0

Stanford regional: LSU (44-15) 11, Stanford (46-15) 1; Series tied, 1-1

UF LACROSSE: Gators fall in NCAA semifinals to Northwestern, 15-11

At the end of the third quarter Friday, the Gators (20-3) trailed No. 1 Northwestern, 10-9. A weather delay of 54 minutes ensued and when the game resumed, the Gators had lost their momentum. Outscored, 5-2, in the final quarter, the Gators saw their season come to an end, 15-11, to Northwestern.

Maggi Hall led the Gators with five goals while Danielle Pavinelli scored three goals and had two assists.

The Gators set a school record for wins (20) and winning streak (20). The Gators set school records for goals (405) and assists (204).

UF MEN’S GOLF: Gators in 8th after one round at NCAA

After one round of the NCAA Golf Championships in Carlsbad, California, the Gators are sitting in eighth place, seven shots over par and five shots behind first round leader Virginia. John Dubois shot a 3-under par 69, which is tied for third place among individuals. Matthew Turner was 1-over and is tied for 25th.

UF BASEBALL: Gators continue to be projected in NCAA field

Both D1Baseball and Baseball America project the Gators will make the NCAA tournament field of 64 teams when bids and seedings are announced Monday. D1Baseball has the Gators going to Tallahassee where the No. 9 national seed Florida State will host (2) Southern Miss, (3) Florida and (4) Florida A&M. Baseball America has the Gators also in Tallahassee where the Seminoles are the No. 11 national seed followed by (2) Southern Miss, (3) Florida and (4) Florida Gulf Coast.

SEC Tournament

Friday scores

South Carolina (36-22) 6, No. 2 Kentucky (40-14) 5; Kentucky eliminated

No. 1 Tennessee (48-11) 6; No. 15 Mississippi State (38-21) 5; Mississippi State eliminated

Saturday semifinals

South Carolina (36-22) vs. LSU (39-20)

No. 1 Tennessee (47-11) vs. Vanderbilt (39-20)