Oakleaf High softball star Katie Kistler, now a senior right fielder for the University of Florida Gators softball, blasted a 277-foot solo homer in the fifth inning to secure a 1-0 NCAA World Series Round one win over Oklahoma State Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Kistler blasted a solo home run in the fifth inning that broke up a no-hitter and turned out to be enough as the fourth-seeded Gators shut out fifth-seeded Oklahoma State 1-0 in their Women's College World Series opener Thursday night at Devon Park. It was enough because UF freshman pitching ace Keagan Rothrock threw a two-hit masterpiece in her WCWS debut, helping the Gators win their 13th in the last 14 games, but more importantly, moving them into the winner's bracket of the eight-team tournament field. Rothrock (31-7), the fabulous freshman making her WCWS debut, held the Cowgirls scoreless for the first time in 20 games. OSU was hitting .312 as a team, good enough for 26th nationally, but managed just two hits and had only one runner reach second base. The game was scoreless when Kistler opened the UF fifth by taking All-American Lexi Kilfoyl to a full count, then tagging the 3-2 pitch over the right field fence, just a few feet inside the foul pole. The run was the Gators' first in two games this season against Kilfoyl, who pitched a 3-0, three-hit shutout at Gainesville back on Feb. 19.
Florida is scheduled to play No. 1 seed Texas on Saturday, June 1 at 6 p.m. Texas beat Stanford 4-0 in their opener.