While the No. 4 Florida Gators were ahead of the North Florida Ospreys 2-0 in the top of the fourth, the offense needed a spark.
Sophomore second baseman Mia Williams and sophomore designated player Ava Brown entered. Williams, facing two strikes, hit the ball deep to center field and off her name on the scoreboard for a moonshot. Her teammates raced out of the dugout to greet her, not knowing they’d be right back up.
Moments later, Brown, the ensuing batter, sent a ball high into the bleachers of right center field. Her third blast of the season, once again, caused the dugout to clear out.
UF (30-4) used these two blasts to grab offensive momentum and defeat UNF (23-10) in five innings 8-0 on Thursday at the UNF Softball Complex. It was Florida’s 19th run-rule win of the season.
Determined to move to 18-0 all time against the Ospreys, UF got off to a fast start in the top of the first. It loaded the bases, and junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson hit her first of two RBIs with a sacrifice fly to left field. However, Florida still had runners on first and second with one out, and senior first baseman Reagan Walsh grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Brown and Williams’ back-to-back home runs started an offensive outburst by Florida. UF senior shortstop Rylee Holtorf laid down a bunt, hustling to first to give Florida a baserunner following the back-to-back blasts. Holtorf helped manufacture this run by stealing second and advancing to third on a groundout by senior center fielder Kendra Falby.
A runner on third and one out is the kind of spot Shumaker, who coming into Wednesday’s contest was tied for the national lead in RBIs, thrives in. Two strikes in the count did not phase her, as she lined the pitch to left field and it bounced out of the glove of North Florida freshman left fielder Grace Shaw-Rockey for an RBI double.
The top of the fifth proved to be where Florida dealt the final blow to the Ospreys. Junior third baseman Kenleigh Cahalan started the frame with a single, and walks by Williams and Brown loaded the bases with no outs. This time, UF produced more substantial results with the bases loaded.
Holtorf scored Cahalan from third as she lifted a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Falby, the ensuing batter, walked to set up Shumaker with a chance to add further damage.
Shumaker did just that, hitting a single through the middle of the infield to score freshman pinch-runner Kylie Shaw and Williams to put Florida in a position to secure the run-rule victory.
UF freshman right handed pitcher Katelynn Oxley (5-2) was masterful in the circle against the Ospreys. She gave up no runs, three hits, one walk and struck out three Osprey batters in the complete-game shutout. Oxley put together a second consecutive outing where she held command of the opposing lineup, after giving up six runs (five earned) in the series opener against No. 2 Texas.
UF is back in action on Wednesday, as it travels to Orlando, Florida, to take on the UCF Knights at 6 p.m. ET.
Contact Jackson Colding at jcolding@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Colding_Jackson.
Jackson Colding is a junior sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 softball reporter. He is in his second semester at the sports desk. In his free time, he likes playing hockey, soccer and going to the gym.
