Florida vs Texas Tech Gainesville Super Regional, final score, recap

Halleman takes over for Spearman in left field and Canady returns to the circle for one last frame. With a 1-1 count to Cahalan, Walton gets ejected from the game — why not at this point? Cahalan responds by sending a single right back up the middle on a hard grounder and the Gators are showing some life here.

Tech switches back to Terry in the circle to face McLellan for a lefty-lefty matchup. McLellan goes down swinging at a 69 mph riseball high and tight for out No. 1; Desiderio comes in to pinch hit for Wesolowski and works a full count before grounding into a fielder’s choice on a hard-hit grounder to third.

With one out remaining in their 2026 campaign, the Gators send Comia to the plate; Tech’s pitching coach comes out to discuss their strategy in closing this one out. She grounds the ball right back to the pitcher, who throws to first to end the pain season for the Orange and Blue. Florida challenges the play, but the ball arrived a fraction of a second before Comia’s foot hits the bag.

Katelynn Oxley comes in to try and stop the bleeding before the lead becomes insurmountable — however, we may have already crossed that line — with the bases loaded and two outs. She gets Spearman to fly out to right on the first pitch, finally ending the three-run rally.

(E5: Texas Tech 16, Florida 7)

Sparkman returns to the circle for her second inning of work and begins by getting Williams to hit a routine fly ball to straightaway center for the first out. Davis follows that with a ground ball to the second baseman, which is promptly thrown to first for out No. 2.

Lis watches four straight balls go by to draw the walk and prevent a 1-2-3 inning; she steals second on a ball in the dirt during the next at-bat. Burns works a full count before drawing a nine-pitch walk, rendering that stolen base moot.

Terry leans into a pitch that hits her, but nobody says anything, and she ultimately draws a full-count walk to load the bases. Walton comes out to discuss his team’s strategy here with a possible mercy rule creeping up on them. Allred hits a slow chopper to the second baseman, who tosses the ball wide to first, allowing a run to score on the throwing error.

Bases loaded and two outs for Pannell, who has already hit a pair of home runs today. She works the count full before drawing a walk and bringing home another run, making it an eight-run lead and the run-rule is now officially in effect.

That brings Canady to the plate and sees three straight balls, bringing the catcher out for a chat with Sparkman, who is looking pretty discouraged out there in the circle; she responds by sending a 62 mph offering down the heart of the plate for a strike but then throws a 62 mph riseball high to walk in the 16th run.

Out comes Walton to make another pitching change.

(M5: Texas Tech 16, Florida 7)

Now it’s Terry’s turn in the circle once again and she surrenders a single on a hard grounder through the left side to Thomas; Tech switches back to Canady in the circle with the bases now loaded and two outs. Grover strikes out swinging at a 71 mph riseball high and away to end the threat.

(E4: Texas Tech 13, Florida 7)

Canady remains in the circle for the bottom of the fourth and gets Comia to pop up to short on the first pitch for out No. 1. Shumaker follows that up with a line-drive single to right on an eight-pitch at-bat to give the Gators a little bit of life. Erickson pops out to the shortstop on a low 58 mph changeup.

Brown works the count full thanks to a missed call before drawing a walk, and there’s yet another pitching change.

(B4: Texas Tech 13, Florida 7)

Right-hander Allison Sparkman takes over in the circle with the bases cleared and one out to face Canady, who hits a chopper to second for out No. 2. Halleman grounds the ball right back to the pitcher, who tosses it to first for the third out.

(M4: Texas Tech 13, Florida 7)

Erickson moves to first, Cassidy McLellan heads into right field for Walker and Wesolowski moves to catcher, while Stevens stays in the game to pitch to Terry. She lines out to left — the first time today that Texas Tech did not get the leadoff runner on base. However, Allred grounds a ball up the middle that is fielded by the second baseman, whose throw to first is offline, allowing her to reach safely.

With a runner on and one out, Pannell gets her second dinger of the day — another two-run shot — and the Red Raiders are creeping toward run-rule territory with a six-run lead. And that’s it for Stevens.

(T4: Texas Tech 13, Florida 7)

Canady returns to the circle for the bottom of the third as Tech continues to rotate its pitchers. She strikes out Cahalan swinging at a 72 mph riseball, before getting Walker to line out to left. Wesolowski hits a swinging bunt right into the dirt in front of the plate, which the pitcher picks up and throws to first for the third out.

And that’s the first goose egg on the scoreboard so far this afternoon.

(E3: Texas Tech 11, Florida 7)

Right-hander Leah Stevens enters the game for the Gators looking to cool off this red-hot Red Raiders offense. She sent Canady down swinging at a nasty changeup below the zone after a seven-pitch at-bat for Florida’s first strikeout of the day so far.

Halleman gets on base on a chopper that bounces under the glove of the shortstop as she charges in at the ball. Williams swings at a 55 mph changeup low and outside for a strikeout, but the Gators can’t get out of the inning as the shortstop misplays a line drive for an error. Lis makes them pay by cranking a three-run home run over the center field fence — the fourth round-tripper of the day for Tech.

Burns flies out to left to end the inning but the damage has been done.

(M3: Texas Tech 11, Florida 7)

Despite a rough first couple of innings, Rothrock returns to the circle to start the third frame and proceeds to serve up a solo home run over the left field fence to Pannell on a 58 mph changeup to give the Red Raiders the lead right back. This game has officially gone full clownshoes.

And there’s the pitching change we all expected.

(T3: Texas Tech 8, Florida 7)

Terry is back on the mound with two on and no outs to face Erickson, who goes down swinging at a 70 mph riseball high and away for a three-pitch strikeout. Brown follows her with a three-run home run over the left field fence to tie that game.

Texas Tech makes yet another pitching change, bringing Canady back in. She gets Thomas to hit a routine grounder to second for the second out of the inning. Grover strikes out swinging at a changeup up and in to retire the side.

(E2: Texas Tech 7, Florida 7)

Canady comes back out into the circle to face Gabi Comia, who grounds a high chopper over a leaping shortstop into left field for a single; she takes second on a wild pitch that sails over the catcher’s head to the backstop. Shumaker works a full count before drawing a walk and now the Gators are threatening to strike back in the bottom of the second.

… and Texas Tech decides to go back to their original starter.

(B2: Texas Tech 7, Florida 4)

Rothrock comes back out for the Gators after a long rest and opens up the top of the second with a 70 mph riseball to Logan Halleman before she works a full count; Halleman ultimately draws a walk, giving the Red Raiders a leadoff runner on base for the second straight inning.

Halleman steals second on the first pitch to Hailey Toney at the plate — the ball was dropped by the catcher, allowing her to arrive well ahead of the throw. Toney sends the next pitch over the wall in straightaway center field to give Texas Tech the lead back.

The umpires huddle together afterward and announce an unsportsmanlike behavior warning on the Red Raiders. Davis walks on four straight pitches and Rothrock continues to play with fire; that brings Florida’s pitching coach out to the circle for a chat. Lis watches two more balls, followed by a strike, go by before buggy-whipping a two-run home run just inside the foul pole in left field and Rothrock is clearly rattled.

Burns grounds out to the second baseman for the first out and Terry follows her with a groundout to second again after working a full count. Allred flies out to left to end a painful frame for Rothrock. Will Tim Walton keep her in the next inning? Stay tuned.

(M2: Texas Tech 7, Florida 4)

After a two-hour and 21-minute weather delay, Nijaree Canady takes over in the circle for Texas Tech and promptly gets Ella Wesolowski to fly out to the shortstop in foul territory.

(E1: Texas Tech 3, Florida 4)

Game will resume at 2:55 p.m. ET.

The game is now in a lightning delay, which is expected to last about 30 minutes.

UPDATE: Another lightning strike was reported around 1 p.m. ET, pushing the start time back another half hour.

Jasmy Burns moves to designated hitter and Haile Toney moves to shortstop before left-hander Kaitlyn Terry opens up the bottom of the first by issuing a walk to Taylor Shumaker after getting ahead at 0-2. Jocelyn Erickson follows her with a line drive back up the middle to give the Gators runners at first and second with no outs.

Ava Brown comes up to the plate and is quickly down 0-2 before flying out to center after six pitches, moving the lead runner over to third. Townsen Thomas hits a hard liner to right, but the fielder is right there to make the catch for out No. 2 while also keeping that runner at third.

Kendall Grover brings a pair home on a two-run double on a low liner into the left-center gap that makes it all the way to the wall, and the Gators are back in business. Business continues to boom on the next at-bat, with Kenleigh Cahalan sending the ball the opposite way over the fence in left-center for a two-run home run.

Madison Walker doubles to right-center, chasing the Red Raiders’ starter. A lightning strike — no, not Florida’s offense — delays the game.

(B1: Texas Tech 3, Florida 4)

Kegan Rothrock’s first pitch of the game hits Mia Williams’ back knee to give Texas Tech; it did look like Williams extended her knee into the ball, but nothing is said. However, there is some jawing from the Red Raiders’ bench as tempers flare early in this win-or-go-home game.

Mihyia Davis follows her by hitting a routine fly ball to left for the first out. Jackie Lis then hits a liner to right that sails over the fielder’s head and bounces off the warning track into the wall for a double, putting runners on second and third.

Both runs come home on a hard-hit grounder by Jasmy Burns that splits the third baseman and foul line for an RBI single; she advances to second on the throw; Haile Toney comes in to pinch run for her.

A grounder to the left side off the bat of Kaitlyn Terry goes through for a single, putting Red Raiders on the corners; there is activity in the Florida bullpen already.

Lauren Allred draws a five-pitch walk and the bases are now loaded with one out. Taylor Pannell lines out to left, but Tech gets another run on a misthrow to third by the second baseman — a throw that didn’t need to be made. Rothrock finally gets out of the inning by getting Lagi Quiroga to pop up to the second baseman.

(M1: Texas Tech 3, Florida 0)