GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5/8 Florida softball team (30-2, 7-1 SEC) evened up its weekend series against No. 1 Tennessee (28-2, 6-2 SEC) with a 5-2 win on Saturday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The win, which came during the Gators’ annual Yellow Game, was in front of 2,635 fans, the fourth-largest home crowd in program history.
Olivia Miller (4-0) shined in the circle, earning her first career Southeastern Conference win, allowing just two hits in 4.1 innings of relief and striking out a pair of Lady Vols. She did not allow a walk in the victory.
Madison Walker and Cassidy McLellan hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the third, the third time Florida has gone back-to-back this season.
Walker’s was a two-run line-drive home run to left center, her sixth home run of the season and second in conference play.
McLellan’s was a solo shot that went over the fence and into the street in left field and was her first hit of the weekend. The junior has slugged seven home runs on the season and three in SEC play.
The Gators have now set up a rubber match against Tennessee on Sunday. Florida will look to secure its their third conference series win of the season and first series win over the Lady Vols since the 2019 NCAA Super Regionals.
NOTABLES:
The Gators broke a six-game losing streak to the Lady Vols, recording their first win over Tennessee since March 27, 2022 in Knoxville
Saturday’s win marked the second-straight season Florida has defeated the No. 1 team. The Gators took 2-of-3 from Oklahoma in 2025
Madison Walker went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs on Saturday, her seventh multi-hit and eighth multi-RBI game of the season
Taylor Shumaker extended her hitting streak to 14 games, a career-high for the sophomore
Shumaker has recorded at least one hit in every SEC game this season and plated a run in six of seven
Kenleigh Cahalan extended her on-base streak to 32 games
HEAR FROM THE GATORS:
On her two-run home run…
“It felt really good. When you’re facing a pitching staff as good as Tennessee’s, any ball you hit hard is going to feel really good. It was awesome to see how quick it got out. I felt like I was only two steps out of the box and it was out. It was just really cool to put a good swing on a good pitch, especially after Townsen worked so hard to get on base with that bunt before me.” – junior Madison Walker
On continuing to excel coming out of the bullpen this season…
“It means a lot to me. The only reason I’m able to excel is because I have confidence in my team, their defense and their offense. I bet on them every single day and that gives me my confidence.” – junior Olivia Miller
On what she took from her at-bats last night into today’s game..
“I just really tried to stick to what I knew that I’m good at. I know I’m a great hitter and I just really needed to remind myself of that. I felt like yesterday, especially when I was looking back at my swings, I was really pressing and I was really trying to do way too much. Obviously with the pitcher that’s throwing 70 plus, you really can’t do that at all. So, that was the main adjustment I made, was just kind of trusting my process, trusting what me and Coach Thomas have worked on and really just trying to get my team on the board.”
On what it meant to have the fourth highest crowd at KSP for the team’s Yellow Game…
“It felt great. They bring so much energy and then that gives us more energy and it makes the game so much more enjoyable for us on the field because we know that they are behind us.” – junior Olivia Miller
“I just love seeing all the yellow shirts out there. We’re always playing for a reason, but especially today, that reason is for pediatric cancer. It was just really awesome to see everyone in their yellow and everyone show up. We could be playing a midweek and I know that Gator Nation is still going to come out and support us. Gator Nation doesn’t want to see us lose in game one and we don’t want to see that either, but for them to come back even stronger today really does help us.” – junior Madison Walker
On Gabi Comia making great defensive plays in back-to-back games and bringing the energy on the field…
Miller: “It’s great. She definitely brings a lot of energy on the field and in the dugout. Every time I see her go out and hit, she jumps three times in the air and I’m like ‘this girl has so much energy’, which is great. No matter how her day is going, she always brings that energy on the field and it’s really nice to have that behind me.” – junior Olivia Miller
“She also just makes some crazy plays. Any time I see her while I’m at first base, I’ll just be watching and she’s just always trying to get better. Like this week, she was practicing behind the back flips. I was like, ‘I don’t know who can do this, but Gabi Comia can’. She’s so freakishly athletic and I just love the year she’s having because she just deserves it so much. She has put in so much work to get to this point. I just love how she attacks her defense and how much joy she brings us on the field.” – junior Madison Walker
UP NEXT:
The series wraps up on Sunday at 12 p.m. on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Michele Smith (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on FloridaGators.com where Sky Lebron and Urquhart will have the radio call.
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