TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 3 Florida softball team (15-1) swept its doubleheader on the first day of the Sun Devil Classic, downing California Baptist, 11-0, and Arizona State, 9-1 at Farrington Softball Stadium.
Senior
Korbe Otis led the offense, going a team-best 4-for-5 (.800) with two doubles, two walks, three runs and a pair of RBI.
Taylor Shumaker slugged 1.571 on the day, hitting another two home runs, bringing her season total to 10.
She had five RBI on Friday, tied with senior
Rylee Holtorf for a team-high.
The freshman moved into a tie for fifth-most home runs hit by a Florida freshman with Lindsey Cameron (2003).
In the circle, sophomore right-handed pitcher
Ava Brown (4-0) made her fifth start of the season, tossing a complete-game shutout against the Lancers, allowing just four hits in the run-rule victory.
In game two against the Sun Devils, sophomore right-handed pitcher
Keagan Rothrock picked up her seventh win of the season.
She allowed just one earned run with five strikeouts in her fifth complete-game.
Game One – Florida 11, California Baptist 0 (5)
Brown set the Lancers down in the top of the first.
The Gators then tallied back-to-back-to-back hits to start the home side the inning, including a two-RBI double from senior
Korbe Otis to plate the first two runs.
Junior
Kenleigh Cahalan added another run with an RBI double, before senior
Rylee Holtorf smashed her second grand slam of the season.
Florida has now hit three grand slams this season: two from Holtorf (including vs. Jacksonville on Feb. 11) and one from
Reagan Walsh (vs. Michigan on Feb. 8).
Shumaker followed with a two-run home run of her own to put the Gators up 7-0 after one.
Shumaker plated the last two runs of the game in the fourth, hitting her second home run of the game, a two-RBI shot to left center, to put Florida in run-rule territory.
The Gators have recorded nine run-rule victories this season.
Game Two – Florida 9, California Baptist 1
After a scoreless first on both sides, the Gators got on the board first in the top of the second.
Cahalan drew a lead off walk, followed by freshman
Gabi Comia's first career double.
Holtorf plated Cahalan with a sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI single from
Kendra Falby, to go up 2-0.
Senior
Reagan Walsh hit the Gators' second sacrifice fly of the game in the third, scoring Otis.
Walsh now has 18 sacrifice flies in her career, which ranks as second-most in program history.
Sophomore
Mia Williams added another to the Florida advantage with a lead off solo home run in the fourth, her fourth of the season, followed by an RBI single from Shumaker.
Arizona State scored its sole run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, stringing together three back-to-back-to-back hits, cutting it to 5-1.
Florida put another four runs on the board in the top of the seventh, with senior
Brooke Barnard scoring on a wild pitch, followed by an RBI single from Williams and a pinch-hit two-RBI single from freshman
Layla Lamar.
Up Next:
The Gators will face New Mexico State and Grand Canyon on Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m ET., respectively, on the second day of the Sun Devil Classic.
Florida will play both games at GCU Softball Stadium in Phoenix.
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