Florida Answers Back, Forces Winner-Take-All Game Against Texas Tech
Texas Tech’s push toward Oklahoma City will now come down to one game.
Florida answered back Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, taking a 10-2 win over the Red Raiders to even the Super Regional and force a winner-take-all game three. After Texas Tech’s dramatic game one win, the Gators flipped the script with an aggressive start and never let Tech settle in. Florida finished with 14 hits and scored in six of seven innings while holding the Red Raiders to five hits.
“I thought from the very beginning Florida came out more aggressive and wanted it worse,” Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco said after the game. “In every aspect of the game, they played harder and we played tentatively.”
The Gators wasted little time putting pressure on NiJaree Canady in the circle. Taylor Shumaker opened the game with a walk before Jocelyn Erickson sent a two-run home run to left-center just two batters later to give Florida a 2-0 lead. Canady recovered to strike out the side after the homer, but Florida continued to chip away throughout the afternoon.
Taylor Pannell said afterward that the Red Raiders never responded the way they needed to after the early punch.
“I think we need to do a better job of coming back and responding that first inning,” Pannell said. “Just show more fight within the first few batters to show that we’re still in the game, no matter what the score is.”
Florida added another run in the third before extending its lead in the fourth on Madison Walker’s two-run home run that pushed the advantage to 5-1 and ended Canady’s day in the circle. Samantha Lincoln entered in relief as the Gators continued to apply pressure.
Texas Tech briefly showed signs of flipping the game in the middle innings. Jasmyn Burns brought home Hailey Toney with a sacrifice fly in the third, then the Red Raiders cut the deficit to 5-2 in the fourth after Mihyia Davis and Lauren Allred put together back-to-back hits before Lagi Quiroga added another RBI.
Burns also came close to providing the biggest swing of the game later in that inning. With the bases loaded, she drove a ball deep to right field that looked off the bat like it had a chance to leave the yard for a grand slam before falling just short of the wall.
“I thought Burns’ ball, it looked to me like it was coming down a few feet from getting out of the park,” Glasco said. “That would’ve made it 6-5 and I think that could have changed the game. But Florida responded immediately and took complete control of the game.”
Florida immediately answered in the fifth and removed any lingering doubt. Kenleigh Cahalan delivered a two-run single before Madison Walker and Ella Wesolowski added RBI hits in a four-run inning built around aggressive baserunning and timely contact. Cahalan later added another run in the seventh as Florida stretched the margin to 10-2.
Canady took the loss after allowing five runs in 3.2 innings while Lincoln worked the final 3.1 innings in relief. Florida ace Keagan Rothrock bounced back after game one, throwing a complete game while allowing two runs on five hits. She is expected to pitch again on Sunday but it will be an all hands on deck situation for both team in a win-or-go home game.
“The team that wants it more is the team that’s going to win tomorrow,” Pannell said as someone that’s been in a deciding game three just last season with Tennessee. “Just going in there and having fun and playing our game.”
Each team has traded haymakers and now the season comes down to Sunday. Texas Tech and Florida are each one win away from punching a ticket to the Women’s College World Series.
“Nothing that happened yesterday will matter today. Nothing that happened today will matter tomorrow,” Glasco said. “It’s going to be all about the war tomorrow.”
First pitch is set for 12pm ET / 11am CT to be aired on ESPNU.
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