The sun was shining through round two of the Florida softball team and Baylor Super Regionals matchup Saturday morning. Despite the Gators taking Game 1 Friday, the Bears stepped into Game 2 with revenge on their mind.
“The most important thing to me for the team is to just embrace each other — forget about the outcome [game 2],” head coach Tim Walton said.
The Baylor Bears (36-22) defeated the Florida Gators (50-13) 5-2 Saturday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to take Game 2 of the series and force a rubber match.
UF freshman right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock had a comeback performance in Friday's match-up, but the odds were not in her favor Saturday morning. Rothrock led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk and allowed a single hit.
With no outs, Baylor’s junior first baseman Shaylon Govan smashed a three-run home run over the center field wall to put the Bears ahead 3-0. UF freshman pitcher Ava Brown subbed in to relieve. She gave up a walk and a single but stranded the pair with a strikeout.
Gators junior infielder Reagan Walsh put the Gators on the board with her 17th home run of the year in the top of the second inning.
The Bears continued to dominate both at bats and on the field. In the bottom half of the second, Bears’ junior shortstop Presleigh Pilon scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 4-1.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher RyLee Crandall held control in the circle for the Bears. She allowed just three hits and one run through the next five innings.
UF redshirt senior Skylar Wallace went 3-for-3 through the contest. In the top of the fifth inning, she drove a two-out RBI single to right field to cut the deficit to 5-2, but it’s all Florida could manage.
“You have to be confident. You got to stay locked in,” Wallace said. “Same routine tomorrow – we’re going to dance in the locker room. We’re going to do all things normal – have fun and get after it.
Next, Florida will face a rubber matchup Sunday against Baylor at 2 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium with the Women's College World Series on the line.
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.
