The Gators and Tide will battle for the series win in a 2 p.m. rubber match on Saturday on ESPN2.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 8/7 Florida softball team evened its series against No. 17/22 Alabama on Friday evening in front of a sold-out crowd at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, earning a 12-4 five-inning run-rule victory over the Crimson Tide.
Freshman Taylor Shumaker ended the game early with a three-run home run, her second of the game, to give the Gators (38-10, 10-7 SEC) their 10th win in Southeastern Conference play and setting up a Saturday rubber match.
Shumaker went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a two-run double and six RBI, matching-her career-best.
Senior Kendra Falby continued her blazing season at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, bringing her batting average in SEC play to .484.
Florida scored in four of five innings, tallying 11 hits and drawing four walks and a hit by pitch.
The Gators jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a one-out Shumaker solo shot.
Florida then tacked on three more runs in the home half of the second.
Falby brought home junior Kenleigh Cahalan and sophomore Ava Brown with a two-RBI single.
Senior Rylee Holtorf then stole home to extend the lead to four.
Alabama (31-17, 8-9 SEC) evened the score at 4-4 in the top of the fourth, before the Gators answered with a multi-run inning of their own, tacking on five runs in the bottom of the frame.
The final blow for the Tide came in the fifth inning as Shumaker hit a three-run blast to end the game early.
NOTABLES:
* Taylor Shumaker has tallied four multi-home run games this season: vs. Michigan (Feb. 8), at South Florida (Feb. 9), vs. Cal Baptist (Feb. 21) and vs. Alabama (Feb. 18)
* She matched her career-best of six RBI, which she set at Houston on March 5
* With 16 home runs on the season, she has hit the third-most home runs by a Florida freshman. Brittany Schutte (2010) holds the freshman record of 19 long balls
* With her third double in four games, Shumaker has now matched the Florida freshman record for doubles (15)
* Of her 57 hits this season, over 57% of them (32) have been for extra base hits – 16 home runs, 15 doubles and one triple
* Kendra Falby tallied her 21st multi-hit game of the season and eighth in SEC play
* She now has 99 multi-hit games in her career and in four of the last five games
* Falby has tallied at least one hit in every conference game this season
* Falby drove in three runs in tonight’s win, bringing her season RBI total to 28, a single-season career high for the senior
* Jocelyn Erickson reached base in each of her three plate appearances, tallying an RBI double, drawing a walk and a hit by pitch
* With two hits, Reagan Walsh tallied her 12th multi-hit game of the season and sixth in conference play
* She drove in one run, bringing her season RBI total to 46
* Florida now has three run-rule victories in SEC play in three difference series: at Texas A&M (12-4), at Auburn (10-0) and now vs. Alabama (12-4)
* The Orange & Blue has recorded 21 run-rule victories this season
* The Gators are looking for their first series victory over the Crimson Tide in Gainesville since the 2017 season
* In that series, Florida lost game one 3-0, before taking game two, 2-0, and game three, 2-1
HEAR FROM FRESHMAN OUTFIELDER TAYLOR SHUMAKER:
On staying consistent throughout games…
“I think we’re learning to appreciate the process and not treat this like a job. Sometimes, it’s hard not to just show up to the field because we have to and do things because we have to, but to do them because we want to and because we get to every day. We, as a team, had a nice long conversation yesterday about appreciating the process and appreciating one another and cherishing the special moments. I think being able to enjoy the game and not thinking ‘I have to do my job again,’ just allows the game to flow little bit better.”
On attitude in the dugout before the five-run inning…
“I think winning each inning is really important, but not only winning each inning, but winning each pitch, each at bat. My favorite thing that we do is when we tell each other that we’re winners every time we have a 3-2 count. If our batter has a really good at bat, we tell each other that we’re winners and we celebrate the small victories. To be able to celebrate the small victories, it makes the large victories just that much more special.
Up Next:
The Gators and the Crimson Tide will play for the series Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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