The Gators six SEC Tournament Championships are tied for the most by a program in league history.
AUBURN, Ala. – The Florida softball team secured its sixth Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship with a 6-1 victory over No.5-seed Missouri in the tournament championship game Saturday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field.
The Gators (46-12) blasted their way past the Tigers (43-15) with five of the six runs scoring via the home run and freshman right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock (26-6) turned in her second consecutive complete-game performance in the circle to secure the victory. Rothrock held Missouri to just six hits over seven innings and allowed only two walks compared to her six strikeouts.
Florida took the lead in the bottom of the second inning 3-0 to open the scoring. The inning started with Reagan Walsh reaching on an infield error, but was retired at second on a fielder’s choice on Ava Brown’s shot that fell in shallow center field. Brown was retired at second on Katie Kistler’s fielder’s choice to second, but Ariel Kowalewski kept the inning alive with a full-count walk off Lauren Krings (13-8).
Mia Williams cleared the bases in the next at-bat with her second home run of the tournament that travel 296-feet over Auburn’s scoreboard.
Missouri attempted to respond in the top of the third inning with a pair of one-out singles that put a pair of runners on base. Leadoff batter Jenna Laird then sent a shot to deep center field, but junior Kendra Falby flashed her speed and saved at least a pair of runs with an over the shoulder catch at the wall for the second out. Rothrock forced a flyout to Kistler in right to end the frame and get out of the jam.
The Gators tacked on to their lead in the bottom of the third inning and pushed it out to 4-0 when Otis ripped her team leading fifth triple of the season to lead off the frame. Skylar Wallace drove in Otis in the following at-bat on a grounder to second base.
UF went on to extend its lead out to 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Falby started the rally with a single to left field, which was also bobbled, allowing her to reach second base. Otis dropped a SAC but to move Falby to third, but she had no trouble scoring as Wallace launched her third home run of the tournament over the center field wall during the ensuing at-bat.
Rothrock and the Gators settled in on defense and the Tigers to just one hit over the finale two frames. In the seventh, Missouri was able to draw a hit-by-pitch and walk, but first baseman Avery Goelz secure the victory and shut down the rally when she snagged a line drive headed to her left and tagged the bag at first to end the game.
The Gators will now wait to find out their placement in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship bracket during the Selection Show that will air live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.
SEC All-Tournament Team Selections
* Skylar Wallace – MVP
* Mia Williams
* Korbe Otis
* Keagan Rothrock
Notables:
* The Gators claimed their sixth SEC Tournament Championship, which now ties Alabama for the most in program history.
* The program improved its SEC Tournament record to 40-29 after a 3-0 sweep at the tournament.
* This was also the program’s 10th SEC Tournament Championship game appearance, which ranks second most in league history behind LSU’s 11 appearance.
* Head Coach Tim Walton won his sixth SEC Tournament Championship and now holds the most by a head coach in league history.
* Skylar Wallace hit a double with two outs in the top of the first inning to right field, which was her team-leading 16th double of the year and her 13th home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth.
* The double also tied the program’s team single-season record of 102 that was accomplished in 2008.
* Korbe Otis ripped her team-leading fifth triple of the season in the bottom of the third inning.
* The triple was the 19th of the season for the Gators, which ranks third all-time in program history during a single season.
* Mia Williams launched her second home run in as many games and fifth of the season in the bottom of the second inning to give UF a 3-0 lead.
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