GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The No. 5\/7 Florida softball team (35-5, 10-3 SEC) dropped a 9-5 decision in the second game of its three-game Southeastern Conference series against No. 13\/16 Mississippi State (32-8, 5-6 SEC) on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The loss was just Florida’s second at home this season, now holding a 18-2 record at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, and sets up a Sunday rubber match.<\/p>\n
The Gators plated four of its five runs in the fifth inning.<\/p>\n
Florida loaded the bases with three straight base hits from\u00a0Ava Brown<\/a>,\u00a0Ella Wesolowski<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gabi Comia<\/a>\u00a0to open the frame, before a\u00a0Taylor Shumaker<\/a>\u00a0sacrifice fly scored the first Florida run of the day.<\/p>\n Jocelyn Erickson<\/a>\u00a0then slugged a three-run home run to right field, her 17th of the season and sixth in conference play, a team-high, to make it 6-4.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs responded with a three-run sixth inning to go ahead, 9-4.<\/p>\n Madison Walker’s<\/a>\u00a0first hit of the day was a two-out RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-5.<\/p>\n Mississippi State combined for nine runs off 14 hits, including two home runs and four doubles.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Katelynn Oxley<\/a>\u00a0(3-1) dropped her first decision of the season in the circle, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks in four innings. The sophomore had both of Florida’s strikeouts on the day.<\/p>\n Allison Sparkman<\/a>,\u00a0Leah Stevens<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Olivia Miller<\/a>\u00a0split the remaining three innings.<\/p>\n Shumaker had Florida’s sole multi-hit outing for the Gators, going 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI, while Erickson drove in three runs.<\/p>\n The Gators will look to bounce back and clinch the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.<\/p>\n FOLLOW THE GATORS<\/a>
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