Bats Blazing: Florida Softball Crushes USF 12-1 in Fall Exhibition

Florida’s bats were on fire Wednesday night. Gators softball rolled past South Florida 12-1 in a fall exhibition game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Junior pitcher Keagan Rothrock got the start in the circle and set the tone early, keeping USF scoreless through the opening six innings. Florida’s offense wasted no time in backing her up.

In the first inning, Jocelyn Erickson drew a walk and Kendall Grover followed with a deep hit to left field to reach first. Kenleigh Cahalan then delivered a key knock to bring both runners home, giving Florida an early two-run lead.

The Gators kept the pressure on in the second inning. Cassidy McLellan worked a walk to start the inning and consecutive hits from Ella Wesolowski and Gabi Comia loaded the bases. After a well-placed foul ball from Kalie Matsuno, McLellan was then able to find home. Townsen Thomas ripped a ball to the outfield that nearly cleared the bases. The Gators (5-1) added multiple runs to extend the lead and never looked back.

South Florida struggled to find rhythm at the plate, while Florida’s pitching staff was able to rotate effortlessly. Rothrock, Allison Sparkman, Olivia Miller and Katelynn Oxley each took turns keeping the Bulls in check.

In the seventh inning, the Bulls finally got on board but Florida answered immediately. Thomas and Taylor Shumaker each tallied RBIs in the bottom half to push the Gators even further ahead. 

Comia kept the energy rolling with an RBI triple in the eighth, and Grover capped the night with a two-run double in the ninth. Cahalan followed with an RBI single to seal the victory. 

Florida finished the night with 12 hits and no errors, showing off both its sharp defense and offensive power to look forward to in the regular season. The Gators will travel to Jacksonville to play North Florida in the next exhibition game on Nov. 7.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Softball