Florida earned its 17th shutout of the year and secured its 25th run-rule win of the season.
DeLand, Fla. – The 10th-ranked Florida softball team earned a run-rule, shutout victory, 8-0 (5 inning) over Stetson at Patricia Wilson Field on a clear and crisp Thursday afternoon.
The Gators (32-5) and the Hatters (12-24) remained scoreless due to a pitcher’s duel between Keagan Rothrock (16-3) and Hannah Marien (6-11) as both held each offense scoreless for the first two innings.
That changed in the top of the third inning of action as UF’s lineup turned over to the top of the order to start the frame. Kendra Falby drew her second walk of the game, which set the stage for Skylar Wallace’s ninth home run of the year that scored Falby and gave the Orange and Blue a 2-0 lead.
Reagan Walsh extended the lead to 3-0 in the third when she belted her first triple of her career and scored Korbe Otis with a shot off the wall in right field. Walsh later scored to make it 4-0 when the third baseman was charged with an error on Ava Brown’s groundball down the
line.
Florida pushed the lead out to 6-0 in the top of the fourth as Korbe Otis hit a two-run home run to score Baylee Goddard. Goddard reached on a leadoff hit-by-pitch as Marien hit her on the knee with the first offering.
The Gators blasted their third home run of the game in the top of the fifth to go ahead 8-0 over the Hatters. Freshman pinch-hitter Ariel Kowalewski lifted her fifth of the season off the scoreboard in left center to score fellow pinch-hitter Brooke Barnard, who reached via a full-count walk in the previous at-bat.
Olivia Miller entered in relief of Rothrock in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure the victory.
The Hatters were able to load the bases but Miller and the Gators defense held Stetson scoreless for the run-rule, shutout victory.
Next up for the Gators is a three-game series against No. 5 LSU at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium from Saturday, April 6, through Monday, April 8.
Notables:
* Florida secured it’s 17th shutout of the year and extended its program record run-rule victory out to 25 games.
* Keagan Rothrock secured her 16th win of the season, which puts her fourth all-time in UF history among freshmen pitchers in wins.
* 1st – Hannah Rogers – 36 – 2011
* 2nd – Stephanie Brombacher – 20 – 2008
* 3rd – Aleshia Ocasio – 18 – 2015
* 4th – Keagan Rothrock – 16 – 2024
* The Gators hit three home runs in the win with Wallace, Otis and Kowalewski each blistering a home run.
* It’s the 10th game this season that the program has hit at least three home runs in a single game.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com<http://www.floridagators.com/softball/>
Florida Softball on Twitter<http://twitter.com/GatorsSB>
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter<https://twitter.com/_TimWalton>
Florida Softball on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/GatorsSB>
