The first inning proved to be detrimental for Florida in its second-straight game. Once again, it got off to a slow start in the circle.
Freshman starting pitcher Katelynn Oxley allowed a double to No. 12/13 Arkansas junior center fielder Reagan Johnson, and a walk to senior left fielder Raigan Kramer to start the first inning.
That’s when Arkansas senior first baseman, Bri Ellis, stepped up to the plate. Ellis, the SEC leader in home runs, took a full-count pitch and hit a moonshot three-run home run over the Florida bullpen for her 19th blast of the season.
The early bomb proved to be too much for the No. 3/2 Gators (33-7, 6-4 SEC), as they fell 4-1 on Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to the No. 12/13 Arkansas Razorbacks (27-7, 7-6). Heading into the contest the Razorbacks had won seven of the last 10 meetings, and the last two series against the Gators.
While Florida has won eight of the last nine series played in Gainesville, it will have an uphill battle winning No. 9.
While Oxley (5-4) gave up a three-run blast in the top of the first, she was able to settle in and provide Florida’s bats a chance to get back into the game. In six innings, she gave up three runs on five hits, while walking four and striking out two Razorback batters.
“It’s huge, like obviously first inning you don’t wanna give up a bomb, if you do that then you turn around and have a strikeout that’s all we can ask of her,” senior center fielder Kendra Falby said.
Arkansas junior starting pitcher Robyn Herron (11-3) was dominant in the circle in the series opener. She pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits. She struck out four UF batters and walked two. She also helped continue Florida’s cold streak at the plate, as the Gators have scored one run in their last 16 innings.
“We’re hitting the ball really well, it's just going right to people and it’s going to come through,” Falby said, remaining confident. “And when it does come through, watch out.”
While the Gators have had a hard time scoring runs, they have not had a shortage of baserunners.
In the bottom of the second, senior left fielder Korbe Otis kicked off the frame with a single, and junior third baseman Kenleigh Cahalan reached on an “excuse me” swing that resulted in an infield single and put two runners on with one out. However, sophomore second baseman Mia Williams flied out to left field, and freshman designated player Gabi Comia struck out to end the inning.
The bottom of the third provided a similar fate for Florida. Falby singled and freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker walked to put two runners on. Similarly, Herron got out of the jam as junior catcher Jocelyn Erickson popped out and Otis lined out consecutively.
Herron could not keep Florida off the scoreboard for the entire contest. Shumaker took a 2-1 pitch and lined it to right field for her 14th home run of the season, but her first since March 7. The blast kept her in second place in the SEC for home runs, and she is three RBIs away from breaking the UF single-season record for a freshman (60). She remains top 5 in the country for total runs, bases and RBIs.
“We were really happy,” Falby said. “We have been wanting to score for a little bit it feels like, so that really kind of like turned the page and we’re ready to come out tomorrow.”
Florida senior pitcher Kara Hammock relieved Oxley for the seventh inning. After the right-hander allowed two runners on base, Wyckoff delivered an RBI single to left-center field on a 0-2 count to restore the three-run lead.
Florida will look to bounce back in game two of the series with first pitch slated for 4 p.m.
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.
