The No. 3/2 Florida softball team wrapped up its opening weekend with two commanding wins, defeating Georgia Southern 4-0 and USF 8-0 in five innings on Sunday at the USF-Rawlings Invitational. With these victories, the Gators improved to 6-0, with four of their wins coming via the run rule.
Ava Brown and Keagan Rothrock each pitched dominant complete-game shutouts, allowing only two hits each, while the Florida offense exploded for 18 hits, including 11 extra-base hits.
Freshman Taylor Shumaker continued her stellar start to the season, belting two home runs against USF, bringing her season total to five. Seven different Gators have now hit 13 home runs through the first six games.
Game 1: Florida 4, Georgia Southern 0 Ava Brown made her second start of the season and allowed just two hits in a shutout performance. After a leadoff hit and a hit by pitch, the Gators turned a double play to keep Georgia Southern scoreless in the first inning. Florida struck first in the bottom of the frame, with Korbe Otis driving in Shumaker for a 1-0 lead. The Gators extended their advantage in the fifth with Jocelyn Erickson’s solo home run and RBI hits from Mia Williams and Brown, capping the 4-0 win. Brown recorded her first career seven-inning shutout with three strikeouts.
Game 2: Florida 8, USF 0 (5) Florida came out strong with a four-run first inning, including RBIs from Erickson, Kenleigh Cahalan, Mia Williams, and a run scored on a USF fielding error. Shumaker added a solo home run in the second, followed by back-to-back home runs from Shumaker and Falby in the fourth to secure an 8-0 win in five innings. Rothrock struck out five and allowed only two hits in her third start of the season.
Notables:
- Ava Brown recorded her fifth career complete-game shutout, her first in a seven-inning game.
- Rothrock now has seven career complete-game shutouts.
- Shumaker leads the team with five home runs, and seven Gators have combined for 13 homers.
- Falby hit her first home run of the season and is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
Up Next: The Gators return to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to face Jacksonville, with the game streamed on SEC Network+.
