WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Korbe Otis<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/korbe-otis/16600> scored twice, once on a solo homer in the fifth, and senior Katie Kistler<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/katie-kistler/16244> had a two-run double in the first to stake host Florida to a lead it never relinquished, as the fourth-seeded Gators took a 4-2 victory from Baylor in Game 1 of their NCAA Gainesville Super Regional Friday at Pressly Stadium. The win was UF’s 12th straight and put the Gators one away from reaching the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The Bears got on the board first in their first when Emily Hott opened the game with a four-pitch walk, then scored on Aliyah Binford’s one-out single three batters later. Things could have been worse for the home team, though, as Baylor loaded the bases with two outs, but Zadie LaValley left them that way with a flyout to Otis in left.
UF answered instantly by trebling BU in its first after Binford, the Bears’ starting pitcher, hit Otis, walked Skylar Wallace<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/skylar-wallace/16246> and surrendered a run-scoring double to clean-up hitter and Southeastern Conference RBI leader Jocelyn Erickson<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/jocelyn-erickson/16559> to tie the score. One out and two hitters later, Katie Kistler<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/katie-kistler/16244> doubled to left center, scoring Wallace and Erickson for a 3-1 lead. Baylor closed the margin on Binford’s solo homer in the fourth to make it 3-2.
Otis got that run back (and the two-run lead) with her solo shot to open the UF fifth, which gave pitcher Keagan Rothrock<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/keagan-rothrock/16558> (29-6) a little breathing room in her Super debut. The freshman standout finished things up by setting down six of the final seven Bears for her third decision in four NCAA games. In her first complete game over the last five starts, Rothrock gave up two earned runs on six hits, struck out five and walked one.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Getting LaValley to fly out to end Baylor’s bases-loaded first seemed significant at the time. The play loomed even bigger as the game went on, considering the Gators finished with just four runs, their fewest in 10 games.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Shoutout to Kistler, the right fielder from Orange Park, Florida, who has five RBI over her last three games and is now hitting .295 out of the No. 6 hole, with 40 RBI on the season. She came into her senior year with 35 RBI for her career.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Wallace went 1-for-2 with a walk, making her 13-for-18 in the postseason (.722). She also scored her 86th run of the season. That run was also the 303rd of her career and made the fifth-year senior the all-time scoring leader in NCAA history. Remarkable.
NOTABLES:
* With today’s victory the program earned its 50th win of the season. Overall, it’s the 11th 50-win season in program history, but it’s the first for the program since 2018.
* Wallace’s 303 runs scored over her career (Florida – 237 runs, Alabama – 66 runs) broke Sierra Romero’s (Michigan, 2013-’16) record of 302.
* Jocelyn Erickson inched closer towards Megan Bush’s 2011 record of 80 RBI when she drove in Korbe Otis in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game 1-1. Erickson now has 79 RBI on the year.
* Otis collected her ninth home run of the year when she lifted the 3-2 offering over the left center field wall in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead out to 4-2.
* Keagan Rothrock tallied her 23rd complete-game of the year and improved to 29-6 on the season.
* Rothrock’s 23 complete-games ranks second all-time among UF freshmen and trails only Hannah Rogers 28 complete-games.
UP NEXT: Florida (50-12) and Baylor (35-22) will meet in Game 2 Saturday at 11 a.m., with the Bears in an elimination situation should they lose. A win for the Gators will send them to the WCWS for the 12th time, all under Coach Tim Walton<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/coaches/tim-walton/1730>. Should Baylor win, a rubber Game 3 will be Sunday, with the time to be determined.
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