Tide Softball Run Ruled by Gators

Back at Rhoads Stadium for day two of the series, the Gators (20-3, 1-0 SEC) clinched game one over the Crimson Tide (19-2, 0-1 SEC) Saturday afternoon. Freshman pitcher Keagan Rothrock led with a one-hit shutout. Kayla Beaver pitched the complete game for Alabama, allowing two unearned runs in the 2-0 loss. 

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On day two, Jaala Torrence started for the Tide, striking effectively but hampered by defensive errors. Dowling's two errors contributed to Florida's two runs early in the game. 

The Tide suffered a 3-0 deficit at the start of the third inning when Jocelyn Briski took the mound, replacing Torrence. Briski made her first appearance since February 17 against Virginia. Alabama closed the gap to 3-2 by the end of the third with RBIs from Abby Duchscherer and Bailey Dowling. However, in the fourth, Gators' Ava Brown hit her fifth home run of the season, extending the lead to 4-2.  

With the Tide still trailing in the fifth, former Alabama pitcher Montana Founts joined the broadcast booth to comment on the game. The Tide's defense gave up four runs due to errors in the fifth inning, widening Florida's lead to 8-2. 

Briski retired for the day, and Alex Salter took the mound for the remainder of the game. The Tide couldn’t overcome Wallace's second double in the fifth, which pushed the Gators to an 11-2 lead, ending the game early by the run rule. 

The Crimson Tide ended the day with double as many errors as they had runs.

The series wraps up on Monday, with the final game starting at 6 p.m. CT.