Florida softball found itself in a massive hole early in its elimination game vs. Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series and never dug its way out.
OKLAHOMA CITY — For the first time since 2019, Florida softball has gone oh-for in OKC.
The Gators’ second consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series ended in a shocking and eye-opening 11-3 five inning, run-rule defeat at the hands to Tennessee. UF’s season ends at 48-17.
It’s the program’s fourth-straight WCWS with a run-rule defeat – 10-0 to Texas in 2024, 8-0 to UCLA in 2022 and 15-3 to Alabama in 2019. The latter two were season-ending defeats.
Florida continued offensive struggles in the first inning. Kendra Falby and Jocelyn Erickson drew leadoff walks off Tennessee ace and one of the best pitchers in the game – Karlyn Pickens.
However, Pickens forced a flyout and struck out Reagan Walsh and Korbe Otis to end the inning.
By the next time UF took the plate, the game had drastically changed.
Florida coach Tim Walton gave Kara Hammock the ball. Hammock pitched well in her Regional and Super Regional appearances, but she had never pitched in the WCWS before and threw just 15 2/3 innings vs. SEC competition this season.
This controversial decision backfired as Hammock allowed a lead-off triple to Gabby Leach. The next batter, Taylor Pannell singled Leach home. Before the inning ended, the Vols added six more runs – capped off by a three-run double from Alannah Leach. Hammock was removed in favor of Ava Brown in that first inning without recording an out.
The Vols ultimately added runs each inning. Florida ate into the deficit slightly with back-to-back homers from seniors Reagan Walsh and Korbe Otis, but a Vol RBI returned the game to run-rule territory, which occurred the next inning.
Florida softball vs. Tennessee in 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series: Live scoring updates
Florida escapes run-rule territory for now with a two-run homer from Walsh and a solo shot from Otis. This knocks out Sage Mardjetko in the fourth as freshman Erin Nuwer enters. She gets the Gators down in order, and it is 10-3 Volunteers in the bottom of the fourth. Katelynn Oxley in the circle for UF.
Nothing for UF in the third for Florida as Holtorf, Falby and Shumaker each get it. Still no hits for Florida through three innings.
Back-to-back for Nugent and Gibson with two outs. Knocks Brown out of the game as Oxley comes in. 9-0 Volunteers lead Gators through two innings.
Gators are now down to five innings to somehow, someway come back from the insurmountable deficit. Williams, Brown and Cahalan all pop out to left, and the inning ends with no hits and no runs for Florida. 7-0 into the bottom of second.
Florida begins the first with a trainwreck. Gabby Leach began the first with a triple, and from there, it just got worse. Taylor Pannell singled in Leach, and back-to-back singles loaded the bases. Walton then pulled Hammock in favor of Ava Brown, who immediately walked in McKenna Gibson. Laura Mealer singled one run in, and Alannah Leach completely blew it open with a bases-clearing double. She moved to third on an error and then Emma Clarke drove her in on a sacrifice fly. All in all, it was seven runs for the Vols.
Gators work Pickens with two walks, but back-to-back strikeouts from to Reagan Walsh and Korbe Otis end the inning for the Gators. 0-0 into the bottom of the first.
Florida softball vs. Tennessee in 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series: Starting Lineups
Florida: CF Kendra Falby, RF Taylor Shumaker, C Jocelyn Erickson, 1B Reagan Walsh, LF Korbe Otis, 2B Mia Williams, DP Ava Brown, 3B Kenleigh Cahalan, SS Rylee Holtorf, SP Kara Hammock
Tennessee: RF Gabby Leach, 3B Taylor Pannell, 2B Ella Dodge, C Sophia Nugent, 1B McKenna Gibson, SS Laura Mealer, LF Alannah Leach, DP Emma Clarke, CF Kinsley Fiedler
Florida softball vs. Tennessee in 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series: Start time
First pitch from Devon Park in Oklahoma City is set to for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
Florida softball vs. Tennessee in 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series: TV/Streaming
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: Watch ESPN, FUBO (free trial)
You can listen to it here. Live stats are available on Gainesville.com/sports/college.
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@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.co
