Florida beats Georgia Tech, advances to super regionals: Score, recap

Rothrock remains in the game to close things out and starts the seventh by getting Vukadinovich to ground the ball right back at her, which she fields and throws to first for the easy out. Gailey grinds out a full count before swinging through a 67 mph screwball for out No. 2; Simon walks after a pitch that missed the zone was called for strike two to force a full count.

A line drive off Duffel’s bat into left field is caught, and Rothrock’s complete-game win is sealed. Gators win!

Erickson starts things out by lining out to the center fielder, followed by a walk by Brown after working the count full — ball four looked awfully close to the zone. Watts is not happy about that call and Georgia Tech’s coach comes out to the circle to calm her hurler down.

Thomas comes up to the plate with one out and one on, and proceeds to work the count full before starting 0-2; she hits a hard grounder to the second baseman that is tossed to the shortstop at second to get the lead runner, but the throw to first is too late to turn the double play.

That brings up Cahalan, who flies out to the left fielder in foul territory for Florida’s second-straight scoreless frame.

(E6: Georgia Tech 2, Florida 5)

Rothrock gets Duffel to fly out to left field to start the sixth before walking Willer on five pitches — the last four offerings landing outside of the strike zone. With one out and one on, the infield comes to the circle to chat with their pitcher as Medina steps to the plate; she sends the ball into shallow right-center, where the center fielder comes in to make the catch.

With two outs and a runner on first, Tucker comes up and works the count full before drawing a seven-pitch walk; Abby McKinnis pinch-runs for her. Tim Walton comes out with his clipboard to chat with his players in the circle before Leschber steps up to the plate and lines a double into the left-center gap to plate a pair of runners, and Rothrock’s no-hitter and scoreless streak comes to an end.

Hunter flies out to left field, but the Yellow Jackets are showing some life heading into the bottom of the frame.

(M6: Georgia Tech 2, Florida 5)

McLellan flies out to shallow center to open up the bottom of the fifth, and she is followed by Wesolowski, who hits a grounder to the shortstop for the second out. Comia steps up to the plate with the bases empty; she claims she is grazed on the elbow by a 62 mph riseball that comes in high and inside, but the replay shows that the ball missed her — Florida loses the challenge and the original call stands. She eventually draws a four-pitch walk anyway.

Shumaker lines out to right field for the Gators’ first scoreless frame of the day.

(E5: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 5)

Vukadinovich starts the top of the fifth with a groundout to third and Gailey pops up softly to third for out No. 2. Simon sends the first pitch to center field, where it is caught for the third out. And that is 13 scoreless innings for Rothrock in the Gainesville Regional this weekend so far.

(M5: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 5)

Shumaker starts off the bottom of the fourth watching a 62 mph riseball go way above the zone for ball one en route to a four-pitch walk. Erickson follows her with a high pop-up to the third baseman for out No. 1. Brown benefits from a blatant missed call by the ump on what should have been strike two, and ultimately draws a five-pitch walk; Kalie Matsuno pinch-runs for her.

Thomas then drives in Florida’s fifth run on a line drive on the first pitch to center that gets misplayed by the center fielder, leaving runners at first and second with one out. Cahalan also swings at the first offering, but pops it up to the shortstop for the second out.

A wild pitch allows the runners to advance to second and third, but after working a full count, Grover is unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity, flying out to center for out No. 3.

(E4: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 5)

Rothrock gets Tucker to ground out on a high chopper to the third baseman for the first out of the fourth before getting Leschber to strike out looking at a 61 mph riseball that gets the high outside portion of the plate for out No. 2. Hunter flies out to left field to end the inning.

(M4: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 4)

Right-hander Sydnie Watts now steps into the circle for Georgia Tech to face Comia, Florida’s No. 9 hitter. The Gators lefty shows bunt before swinging through 61 mph offering high and outside for strike three to end the threat.

(E3: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 4)

Thomas sees a pitch that rolls through the dirt up to the plate to open the bottom of the third before putting down a bunt, beating the throw from the third baseman to first for an infield hit. Cahalan follows that with another beautiful bunt — this time down the first base line — for a hit, and then Grover gets hit on her knee on the first offering; now the bases are loaded.

Georgia Tech’s coach calls a meeting in the circle as McLellan walks up to the plate. The Gators’ lefty tries another bunt, but it goes foul; she then swings and misses at a screwball well below the zone for the first out of the frame. Wesolowski gets the job done, however, grounding for an unassisted out at first that brings home one run and moves the other runners to second and third with two outs.

And that is it for Johnson — Georgia Tech makes a pitching change.

(B3: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 4)

Emma Simon opens up the bottom of the third by popping up to the shortstop on the first pitch she sees for the first out. Madi Duffel follows her with a five-pitch walk — ball three looked like it got the zone, but the ump didn’t see it that way.

That turns the batting order back over to Willer, who works the count full before swinging at a 67 mph pitch on the inner portion of the plate for a strikeout. Medina puts down a bunt on the first offering, which is fielded by the first baseman and thrown to the second baseman covering first, ending the inning.

(M3: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 3)

Cassidy McLellan gets hit on her elbow on the first pitch from Johnson, giving the Gators another leadoff baserunner in the second. However, she gets erased on a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Ella Wesolowski.

Gabi Comia wasn’t ready to end the frame just yet, chopping a double over the first baseman’s head after showing bunt to put a Gator in scoring position. Shumaker then brings her home on a two-run shot over the left field fence, and Florida is now up by three.

After another meeting at the mound, Erickson walks up to the plate and sees three straight balls before drawing a five-pitch walk to keep the inning alive. Brown strikes out swinging on a 60 mph rise ball just above the zone to end the rally.

(E2: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 3)

Reese Hunter steps up to the plate to start the inning and grounds the second pitch back up the middle, which takes a weird hop through the pitcher’s circle to the shortstop, who throws her out at first for the out. Paige Vukadinovich follows her with a fly ball to right-center, caught by the right fielder, and Jayden Gailey grounds the first pitch she sees to the second baseman for out No. 3.

(M2: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 1)

Taylor Shumaker leads off against right-hander Madalyn Johnson, who starts her off with a 58 mph riseball above the zone. Shumaker pokes the next pitch down the third base line into the left field corner for a double — Florida’s 113th this year, a new school record. Jocelyn Erickson follows her with a four-pitch walk.

With a pair of runners on and no outs, Ava Brown steps up to the plate and puts down a perfect bunt right in front of the plate to advance both runners into scoring position. That strategy pays off as Townsen Thomas grounds to the second baseman, allowing the lead runner to score as she gets thrown out at first.

Kenleigh Cahalan steps into the batter’s box with two outs and a runner on third; she works the count full before drawing a walk on a 60 mph pitch that just barely misses the zone. Johnson is justifiably frustrated, drawing her coach and teammates out to the pitcher’s circle for a chat.

The first pitch to Kendall Grover results in a flyout to left and the threat is over.

(E1: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 1)

Right-hander Kegan Rothrock starts things off with a 60 mph offering that misses the zone outside to Alyssa Willer; she throws three more balls for a four-pitch walk. That brings up Holly Medina, who sees a strike on the first offering before getting a grounder right back to her, which she throws to second to get the lead runner.

Gracyn Tucker flies out to center on the first pitch she sees and Addison Leschber follows her with a chopper to first base for an unassisted out.

(M1: Georgia Tech 0, Florida 0)