Gators punch ticket to OKC on homers by Holtorff, Shumaker

Rylee Holtorff connects for 2-run homer in the fifth (UAA Photo)

As many times as Tim Walton has taken the Florida Gators to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series you would think it gets easier. Not so.

“It’s hard,” Walton said Sunday evening after the 3rd-seeded Gators (48-15) punched their ticket to OKC by taking out the Georgia Bulldogs (35-23), 5-2, in game three of their Super Regional. This is the 13th time in school history that the Gators have made it to the Women’s College World Series, all of them during Walton’s tenure. “It looks easy sometimes, but it’s true. It’s hard.”

It was looking hard in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Gators were clinging to a 1-0 lead and there were two out when Rylee Holtorff stepped to the plate with Mia Williams on first. A grad transfer from Washington who dazzles in the field at shortstop, had a bagel to show for her eight super regional at-bats. Georgia had been feeding her a steady diet of rise balls including one in the third that struck her out with the bases loaded.

It only figured Georgia lefty Randi Roelling would stay with what was working. What she didn’t count on was Holtorff would make an adjustment that she used earlier in the season. Stepping up in the batter’s box, Holtorff got on top of a rise ball and sent it into the left field bullpen to give the Gators a 3-0 lead.

“If you go back and watch film on Rylee hitting that ball, she’s only done that technique a couple of times this year,” Walton said. “So she’s had that in her back pocket and she used it. It’s just a little slap technique where she steps up. Couldn’t be more proud of that because how many more times can you strike out on a rise ball and she just stepped into the pitch and boom, got above it and went after it.”

Kendra Falby followed Holtorff to the plate and instead of taking a rip, laid down a bunt on a 1-1 pitch. Georgia didn’t have a prayer of getting her out at first. That brought Taylor Shumaker to the plate. Georgia pitchers walked Shumaker four times Friday afternoon but got her out on three weak swings in Saturday’s 2-1 loss. Shumaker broke out of her mini-slump in the first when she singled home Falby, who had walked and stolen second. Shumaker walked in the fourth on five pitches.

In the bottom of the fifth, Shumaker worked a full count after a 1-2 start, got a pitch she liked and sent a no doubter over the right field fence, her 22nd home run of the season, tying Brittany Schutte for Florida’s single season record. The three RBI for the game brought her season total to 86, tying Jocelyn Erickson for the single-season record.

Walton had pretty good idea that Shumaker was going to have a bust out game.

“I wake up this morning to a text message that she’s hitting already,” Walton said. “She’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going to hit’ and so I was like, just put the work in … she’s a worker not a talker. So the more we can get work and more swings and just watching ball flight the better she gets.”

The 5-run cushion was more than enough for Keagan Rothrock, who bounced back from a Saturday start in which she was yanked from the circle one batter into the second inning. She gave up two home runs on Saturday when she didn’t have great stuff.

Sunday was different story. Rothrock had great location and consistently pounded the strike zone with pitches that topped 70 miles per hour on the radar gun. Rothrock gave up only two hits through the first six innings. She gave up a 2-run homer and a single in the seventh, but got a grounder to Holtorff at shortstop to finish the game.

Improving to 16-6 on the season, Rothrock gave up only one earned run, walked one and struck out five. She got 10 hitters to ground out and finished off the fifth by inducing Marisa Miller to hit into a Williams-to-Holtorff-to Reagan Walsh double play.

Getting Rothrock into a good groove prior to OKC was a very big deal for Walton over the weekend. A year ago, Rothrock got hot at the regional and super regional tournaments and it carried over to the Women’s College World Series. Rothrock heads to Oklahoma City throwing harder than she’s thrown all year. Walton reeled off the names of pitchers who have played a major role in getting the Gators to the WCWS including Lauren Haeger (70-71 miles per hour).

“Kelly [Barnhill] got it up there pretty good as well,” Walton said. “… Hannah [Rogers] got to 70 a couple of times, but for the most part she was 66 to 68. Keagan and Kelly Barnhill are probably the two hardest throwers.”

Game notes: The Gators will open the Women’s College World Series Thursday at noon against 6th-seeded Texas (51-11). Game two will feature 2nd-seeded Oklahoma and 7th-seeded Tennessee. In the night doubleheader, 16th-seeded Oregon will face 9th-seeded UCLA and 12th-seeded Texas Tech will face unseeded Ole Miss … The Southeastern Conference, which set a record for 13 teams making the tournament, will have five of the eight teams in Oklahoma City … The Gators are 7-1 in game three of Super Regionals … In three Super Regional games, the Gators stranded 36 runners on base, nine on Friday, 13 on Saturday and 14 Sunday … The Gators pounded out 14 hits. Every Florida starter reached base at least once.