Florida softball fulfills Tim Walton’s desire to mash in win over Florida A&M
For one inning, it appeared Florida softball’s late season SEC issues reared its ugly head.
The Gators loaded the bases and scored a run, but Cassidy McLellan flew out to end the inning to leave three runners on base.
That was the end of that, though.
In the next four innings, UF followed through on coach Tim Walton’s desire to “mash the ball,” and rolled to a 12-0 run-rule win over Florida A&M in five innings at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to open the NCAA Gainesville Regional.
It’s Florida’s biggest win and most runs scored since the 15-2 thrashing of South Carolina on April 11.
Taylor Shumaker and Jocelyn Erickson served as the engine of the offense. Erickson generated three doubles, and Shumaker had five RBIs — including a three run shot in the fifth. That gave the Orange and Blue 100 home runs for the season for the fifth time in program history and third season in a row.
“It always feels nice to have your lineup coming together,” Shumaker said. “We’ve always had a really cohesive lineup, and the ability to build off each other was something we really stressed.”
The Gators followed through on that practice preaching as well, especially from its No. 9-3 hitters. In the three-hole, Ava Brown had three hits and Gabi Comia — the No. 9 hitter — helped set up Shumaker and Erickson with two hits.
Erickson said Comia’s ability to turn over the lineup with her hitting and speed is essential to UF’s success. Shumaker called her the “little spark plug.”
“Even if she isn’t having one of her best days, she’s always bringing the energy and trying to fire us up,” Shumaker said. “Seeing her ability to find ways to get on base and score runs have been really special.”
In the circle, Walton trusted Keagan Rothrock for the first three innings. Then Katelynn Oxley and Leah Stevens did what the coach asked of them and delivered “just one good inning.”
“The main thing for us to make sure Keagan is Keagan, Red is Red and Leah is Leah and go out there and pitch,” Walton said. “Don’t worry about I shouldn’t, I can’t. Go out there and do it, and I thought they did a good job.”
Now, the Gators will face Georgia Tech for the third time in 2026. The Yellow Jackets kept both games close with 5-1 and 8-5 defeats and have momentum following the 2-1 upset of Texas State in Game 2 of the Gainesville Regional.
Pitcher Madelyn Johnson, who went head-to-head with Bobcat ace Maddy Azua and limited them to three hits, said that the “Ramblin’ Wreck” have become much better “fighters” since the losses to the Gators.
“We’ve molded really well together and had a lot of tough discussions, and I think that’s made us super confident in what we have, and we’ve gotten very close,” she said.
GT played a tough non-conference and ACC schedule, and Morales said she’s viewing each game this weekend as a Game 3.
“I’ve seen our team, over the course of the season, get better and better, so I’m excited about that,” Morales said. “I know it’s going to be a tough challenge, and the Gators are going to give us everything they have.”
Erickson said no matter the opponent, UF will be well prepared and that alone puts the squad in a good position to win.
“Just focus on the Gators and make sure we’re in the best position to win,” she said.
First pitch is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, with TV to be determined.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball run-rules Florida A&M to open NCAA Gainesville Regional
