Florida softball took the series lead Friday night for its seventh run-rule victory against Georgia. A rowdy crowd filled the stands, as the Bulldogs entered Saturday morning seeking revenge.
Georgia (37-12, 11-8 SEC) hit five home runs against the Gators (38-12, 13-7 SEC) to even the weekend series in Athens, Georgia.
Florida trailed Georgia early after an RBI triple down the left field foul line by graduate student second baseman Sydney Kuma in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman pitcher Ava Brown in the circle forced two pop ups and a ground out to strand the runner at third.
Bulldogs junior pitcher Lilli Backes allowed just two hits through the first three innings, but the Gators attacked in the top of the fourth. Redshirt senior shortstop Skylar Wallace started the rally via a lead-off walk and recorded her 113th career stolen base to tie Kelsey Stewarts’ program record.
With two outs and bases loaded, Gators freshman third baseman Ariel Kowalewski crushed a curve ball over deep center field for her first grand slam of her career.
The Bulldogs immediately responded in the bottom of the fourth with a pair after a fielding error and two-run homer over the left field wall. Despite no outs, Brown forced two flyouts to keep the Gators ahead 4-3.
Georgia continued its rally with an explosive seven runs on seven hits in the fifth inning frame. Senior right fielder Jayda Kearney smashed a three-run home run to right center field to retake the lead. Fifth year third baseman Sara Mosley followed with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 7-4.
With only one out, Florida graduate student Mackenzie Wooten subbed in to help relieve the inning but struggled to find success. Georgia put two more runs on the board with another home run.
UF freshman left-handed pitcher Olivia Miller subbed in and forced two fly outs to escape the inning. Brown highlighted the top of the sixth with a solo home run to center field.
The Gators attempted to start a final seventh inning rally with a lead-off solo home run by junior left fielder Korbe Otis. The run cut the deficit to 11-6, but pitcher Backes preserved the Bulldogs’ victory without any further damage.
Next, Florida will face a rubber match against Georgia on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Jack Turner Softball Stadium. The game can be streamed on ESPN2.
Contact Hailey Hurst at hhurst@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @haileyjhurst.
Hailey Hurst is a second-year journalism major with a focus in sports media and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach and cheering for Miami sports teams.
