GAINESVILLE, Fla. | Holding a two-run lead heading into the top of the third, top-seeded Florida – the No. 4 national seed – used a seven-run inning to pick up a 9-1 win in five innings, and advance to the Super Regionals next weekend, and eliminate the Jaguars Sunday afternoon Gainesville Regional held at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
With the loss, South Alabama's (34-20-1) season comes to an end. In her final game as a Jag,
Bailey Welch was 2-for-2 at the plate and scored the lone run, while
Odalys Cordova drove her in with a single in her final at-bat.
Florida (49-12) was led offensively by Korbe Otis, Jocelyn Erickson and Reagan Walsh, who each had two hits apiece. Otis scored twice, drove in a pair and walked, while Erickson had a home run and a double, and scored twice.
Quotable – head coach
Becky Clark
- Opening statement: "I'm incredibly proud of our players and our staff. It was an amazing season and they represented the university, the Sun Belt Conference in a first-class manner with grit and toughness. I'm proud not only of how we played, but proud of the kind of people who wear our uniform. You win with (good) people, and that's why we've had the success that we've had. If you surround yourself with great people, great things will happen. I'm not just proud of the wins, which are fun and great, but proud of the way we did it. I'm thankful to all the people who have supported us, pulled for us and fought for us throughout the season."
- On the pitching plan going into game one: "We were trying to be fair to (
Olivia Lackie) because of what we've asked her to do (this season), and knowing that we did have to win two (games). Tori Miller has given us some great innings with the win against Mississippi State,
Madison Lagle held Arizona to one run, so we went that route early on. Cadence Williams threw well against Missouri earlier in the year, so we felt like we could get maybe three outs from Liv (in game one) pushing it six outs, but I didn't want to bring her in early on. I wanted to try to go to some folks that in the past have shown they were capable of doing it.
"When it got out of reach, I wasn't going to leave Liv on the bench for her last game. I gave her the option and she wanted to go in and pitch that final inning. Allowing her to finish it out on the field is just a respect thing for her and everything she's done for the program."
- On what the seniors have meant to the program: "The biggest thing that group has done is just put the program first. They fought for something bigger than themselves and they weren't afraid to be leaders, which is hard to find these days, because no one wants to have those hard conversations anymore. They've been willing to get out of their comfort zone and step up and say things when they needed to be said and point people in the right direction. That's part of the grit and toughness I'm talking about. I'm very proud of them because it's very hard to find people who will be vocal leaders and fight for what's right, which is a very big deal. I think that's why it's so hard to say goodbye to this class."
- On the game: "We came out and gave our best effort. We were working really hard to push it to a game two. We felt that if we could force it to a game two, that anything could happen then. It didn't work out, and it wasn't for a lack of effort."
How It Happened
• Florida grabbed the early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Korbe Otis walked with one and two batters later, Jocelyn Erickson homered to right to put the Gators on top (2-0).
• Welch dropped in a bloop single in shallow left to start the Jaguar second, but UF starting pitcher Keagan Rothrock retired the next three Jag batters with a pair of strikeouts and a lineout to center
• Florida broke the game open in its half of the third with seven runs on six hits, sending 12 batters to the plate to extend its lead to 9-0. Otis lined a single to left to begin the frame, and the junior then swiped her 13th base of the season to move into scoring position. After a walk to Skylar Wallace, Erickson plated her third run of the game with a single to right (UF, 3-0).
• With runners at second and third, Reagan Walsh dropped in a single in left, scoring Wallace (UF, 4-0). Katie Kistler was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs, and Ava Brown extended the Gator lead to 6-0 with a two-run single to left center. With the bases loaded for the second time with two outs in the inning, Otis reached for the third time in as many plate appearances as she lined a single to center to score two more (UF, 8-0), and added another run on a RBI single by Erickson.
• Welch doubled to center, her second hit of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth, with two outs, and one batter later, Cordova – who began her collegiate career at Florida – lined a single to left, plating Welch and breaking up the shutout (UF, 9-1).• In her final appearance as a Jag,
Olivia Lackie entered the game in the top of the fifth and with the bases loaded, struck out Baylee Goodard to end the frame, the 903rd of her career
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the fifth in the all-time series and the third in postseason play
• The appearance marked the first for South Alabama in the regional final since 2015 and the fifth overall
• In a streak dating back to May 7, 2021,
Mackenzie Brasher has made 164 consecutive starts, fifth-longest streak all-time at South
• With her first-inning walk, Stagner has reached base safely in 18-straight games – her second such streak this spring – and in 47 games of her 52 contests
• The 18-game reached base safely streak is tied for 18th-longest streak in program history
• Welch has reached base in 15 of her last 17 and 26 of her last 33, and had a hit in 10 of her last 15 after her second-inning single
• The multi-game was the seventh of the spring for Welch and the 16th of her Jaguar career
•
Stephanie Gonzalez has reached base safely in 15 of her last 19 after her infield single in the bottom of the fourth
• Lackie ends her Jaguar career holding the program marks in appearances (153) and shutouts (41), while ranking second in opponent batting average (.183), wins (80), saves (11), tied with
Hannah Campbell in no-hitters (5), while ranking second complete games (77), innings pitched (774.2) and strikeouts (903)
• Lackie is one of six pitchers in Sun Belt Conference history to reach the 900-strikeout plateau: Brooke Mitchell, Louisiana (1,309, 2002-05), Ashlyn Williams, Troy (1,301, 2008-11), Randi Rupp, Texas State (1,270, 2015-18),
Devin Brown, South Alabama (932, 2015-18) and Jordan Wallace, Louisiana (905, 2012-15)
• Brasher leaves South Alabama holding the career marks in games played (231), starts (224) and stolen bases (87), while ranking second in hits (225), third in runs scored (144) and in the Top 10 in batting average
• The seven runs allowed in the top of the third by the Jags are the most by an opponent in a single inning in a regional game
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