Cahalan Blasts Florida to Dramatic Series-Opening Victory

Hitless through five innings, it seemed Mississippi State pitcher Peja Goold had figured out how to ice the Gators’ bats.

Kenleigh Cahalan had other plans at Friday’s series opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The senior blasted a ball out to right field, leaving no doubt about it. The two-run homer was Florida’s (35-4, 10-3 SEC) only hit of the night and was all it needed. 

No. 5 Florida got an unprecedented 2-0 win against No. 13 Mississppi State in a matchup that was delayed two hours by the weather and saw the return of a Gator great.

Ace pitcher Keagan Rothrock has seen heavy playing time in the first half of SEC play. Rothrock (18-4) pitched her fourth complete game shutout of 2026, allowing five hits with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Lightning in the area delayed the first pitch in the series opener from the 6 p.m. scheduled start to 8:10 p.m. 

Mississippi State (32-8, 4-6) made the most of the delay, coming out ready to deal with hot Gator bats. Florida had no answer for Goold, one of the top pitchers in the SEC, as it went 1-2-3 in three of the first four innings.

The Gators defense continued to shine as well, an unusual 5-2-3 double play got Florida out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.

Heading into the sixth inning, Goold seemed to be locking up the Gators and looked to be the first pitcher to no-hit Florida in the modern era. Cahalan’s two-run moonshot, her 14th of the season, flipped the script at KSP and brought the loyal fans remaining to their feet.

Nobody was prepared for what was to follow as junior two-way star Ava Brown made her long awaited return. The pitcher/first baseman went down with an undisclosed injury in a win against Cal on Feb. 26. 

Brown pinch hit for Kendall Grover in the next at-bat after Cahalan’s homer, and KSP could not believe it. The junior was deemed by most to be out for the season and her return brought tears to some fans in the stands. 

Behind Cahalan’s homer and the emotion from Brown’s return, Rothrock and the Gators were able to close the Bulldogs out in the seventh to win the opening match of a heated top-25 series.

Following a short turnaround full of drama, both teams will be back in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (SEC Network+)

Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Softball