GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Texas Tech torched Florida pitching for a season-high in runs, doing so on 10 hits and five homers, as the 11th-seeded Red Raiders rolled to a 16-7 run-rule victory Sunday in the decisive Game 3 showdown against the sixth-seeded and host Gators in their NCAA Gainesville Super Region showdown at Pressly Stadium.
Jackie Lis and Taylor Pannell smashed two homers each for the Raiders and combined for nine RBI, with each homering in the third inning to break open what already was a crazy game, what with the two teams tied at 7-all -- with four homers -- after just 12 outs recorded.
It was all Tech thereafter.
The Raiders jumped early on UF starter Keagan Rothrock (30-7), who was making her third start in as many days in sweltering heat and clearly did not have her best stuff. Tech took a 3-0 lead in the first when Jasmyn Burns singled to knock in a pair of runs, then added another on a throwing error by UF second baseman Gabi Comia.
The Gators were undeterred. They got the first two batters on base, then a two-run double from Kendall Grover to make it 3-2. Kenleigh Cahalan's 2-run homer gave the Gators a 4-3 lead, just in time for a distant lightning strike to halt the game for what turned out to be a two-hour, 19-minute weather delay.
When play resumed, Tech struck for four runs on a pair of two-run homers by Mia Williams, the former UF star, and the second from Lis to go up 7-4. Once again, Florida answered; with all three runs coming on Ava Brown's towering homer that made it 7-7.
The Raiders scored the next nine runs, with the homers by Pannell and Lis in the third, two more runs in the fourth, then three in the fifth when UF reliever Allison Sparkman, the junior transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, set down the first two batters, but walked the next five straight, including two with the bases loaded, before giving way to Katelynn Oxley with a nine-run deficit.
The Gators came to bat in the fifth need two runs to extend the game, but Coach Tim Waltonwas ejected after a discussion with the home plate umpire and wasn't around to see the end.
Though Kaitlyn Terry started for the Raiders, she was platooned with fellow ace NiJaree Canady (25-6), who got the win in giving up just two runs on three hits in her three innings. Rothrock worked just two innings, but gave up eight runs on six hits and walked three without striking out a batter. Leah Stevens and Sparkman combined to give up eight runs in 2.2 innings of relief.
Kenleigh Cahalan gets a fist bump from Coach Tim Walton following her first-inning homer that put the Gators temporarily in front 4-3.
PLAY OF THE GAME: It wasn't just one play, but the first two innings made for quite the heavyweight battle (even with the weather delay), making for the first game in NCAA Tournament history where both teams scored at least seven runs through the first two innings.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The loss marked UF's first loss in seven home Super Region Game 3s, as well as the first home NCAA Tournament mercy-rule loss in program history.
UP NEXT: For the Gators (51-12), their season ends without a third consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series. The regional spot in OKC will go to Texas Tech (58-7), which is headed to WCWS for a second straight season. The Red Raiders reached the NCAA championship series last season, eventually losing in three games to Texas.
QUOTES
Coach Tim Walton * (Opening statement):"Obviously, it was a helluva game. Two good teams going at it. Give them credit. Congratulations to Texas Tech. They came in here, played well and advanced deservingly. Our players, really proud of the way we fought. Not just from Friday, but Saturday the way we came back and then, today, came back again. Just came up short. Didn't have enough left in the tank. Again, credit them mostly. We had a great season. Really proud of our players, the connectivity and the collection of people we have in the locker room. I always hate the end of the year, even when you win, because of people are what makes this place special and coaching special." * (On the early offense): "We lost. I hate it. I hate it more than anything, but we played our butts off. Not a lot of teams can do that. Plenty of teams fold early. We just didn't have enough left. Obvoulsy Keagan gave us everything she had, but we just didn't have enough left. Their lineup has been really, really good. They don't swing at bad pitches. They had a good weekend. It's a tough lineup up and down."
Jocelyn Erickson (The game): * "I don't care about the outcome. At the end of the day, these girls have taught me so much. We've had so many fun memroies, in-game and out of game. We had fight, we had grit. I'm just so proud, more importantly, of them teaching me how to fight through adversity and the hard times to get to the mountains in life."
Kenleigh Cahalan * (On if the weather delay impacted their performance): "I don't thnk it hurt. We had a great time in the locker room hanging out. Those things you can't control. We came in there, as a team, and hung out, had a good time, then went back there. We did our best. We fought hard."
UAA communications director Lauren Staff contributed to this report.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
