Florida has now won seven of the eight Southeastern Conference series played this season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 11th-ranked Florida softball team clinched its seventh Southeastern Conference series of the season with a 9-8 (8 inning) walk-off victory over No. 8 Texas A&M early Saturday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Orange & Blue finish the 2024 regular season having won seven of the eight SEC series played this year.
The Gators (42-12, 16-7 SEC) earned the victory in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the eighth inning over the Aggies (39-11, 15-8 SEC) thanks to a walk and a trio of hits. Mia Williams led the frame off with walk as she watched the 3-1 offering from reliever Emiley Kennedy (20-9) float outside of the strike zone.
With the lineup turned over to the top of the order, Kendra Falby ripped her third hit of the game to center field for a single, which was then followed by Korbe Otis’ fourth hit of the game on a screamer up the middle of the infield to load the bases. Kennedy was able to rebound with a strikeout, but the Gators potent lineup brought up sophomore Jocelyn Erickson. Erickson worked a 2-2 count from Kennedy before delivering the knockout blow via her RBI single to left field that scored Williams for the game-winning run.
Freshman Ava Brown (15-5) submitted her eighth complete-game effort to the year. The Montgomery, Texas native threw 149 total pitched and tied her season-high with five strikeouts.
Florida jumped out to a massive early lead and by the end of the second inning the Orange & Blue amassed eight runs on nine hits to take an 8-2 lead. A trio of RBI doubles smashed by Otis, Skylar Wallace and Brown put the team ahead 3-0 in the first, while the highlight of the second inning was Otis’ grand slam in the second. Reagan Walsh plated the eighth run on a SAC fly to left field.
Texas A&M chipped away at the Florida lead for the rest of the game as they scored one in the third via a solo home run, three runs in the fifth on a pair of UF errors and two in the top of the seventh via a two-RBI single that tied the game 8-8.
The Gators and the Aggies will play the series finale Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. ET to conclude the regular season.
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