No. 5 Florida Softball Falls to No. 1 Tennessee in Opener
No outs, with bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Florida looked poised to do some damage.
That was until Karlyn Pickens got going. The senior showed why she has a .65 ERA, the second best in the country, and struck out three straight to leave three Gators stranded on base.
That was the game-defining moment in an elite pitching battle in Game 1 of the series between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 5 Florida.
Keagan Rothrock, Olivia Miller and the Gators fought in a close one against Sage Mardjetko, Pickens and the Lady Volunteers, as Tennessee took the Game 1 victory 2-1 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Rothrock (16-2) got the start for Florida (29-2, 6-1 SEC) in the circle. The junior pitched six innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out five. Miller relieved her in the seventh and went 1-2-3 to give the Gators a chance.
The elite pitching duo of Mardjetko (7-0) and Pickens got the job done for Tennessee (28-1, 6-1 SEC). They combined for 12 strikeouts, with Pickens picking up the save.
After a 1-2-3 inning to start the game, Florida got its bats going in the second. Kenleigh Cahalan swung at and crushed the first pitch she saw, a solo homer to center field to give the Gators the lead.
Gabi Comia proved why she is one of the best defensive players in the country with an inning-ending double play in the third. She showed off her athleticism as she jumped to snag a hit by Emma Clarke and caught Ella Dodge off guard as she scrambled back to first.
After only recording one hit through four innings, the Lady Vols finally broke through the Gators defense in the fifth. An Ella Dodge RBI double into right field made it 1-1, and Alannah Leach’s RBI single into shallow center gave Tennessee a 2-1 lead.
After taking the lead, the Lady Vols brought on Pickens to the circle to relieve Mardjetko, who struck out seven in four innings. In her first inning, she retired the first three batters she faced.
Florida loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but the bats went cold, with Pickens striking out the next three Gators to get out of the jam.
Tennessee found itself in another jam in the bottom of the seventh, but with two runners in scoring position and two outs, Pickens struck out Kendall Grover to give the Lady Vols the win.
Florida has now lost its last six against Tennessee, including an 11-3 run-rule loss in the Women’s College World Series in 2025.
The Gators will look for revenge Saturday at 1 p.m. in the second game of the series.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Softball
