AUBURN, Ala. – The Florida softball team secured its sixth Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship with a 6-1 victory over No.5-seed Missouri in the tournament championship game Saturday afternoon (May 11) at Jane B. Moore Field at Auburn University. This sixth title tied the University of Alabama for titles accrued.
On the Gators team is senior Katie Kistler, a graduate of Oakleaf High School in Orange Park. Also on the team is Kistler's Oakleaf teammate Baylee Goddard, a senior infielder. Goddard, a starter in her first two seasons as a Gator, has been plagued by injuries. Both players were Class 8A champions under coach Christina Thompson at Oakleaf High School.
Kistler has been a mainstay in the outfield for the Gators with batting averages of .354, .258 and .298 the past three seasons with six homers, four triples and seven doubles with 39 runs batted in. Kistler's speed has given her 34 steals in her career thus far.
Also on the team, in the dugout, is former Fleming Island High pitching flamethrower Kaitlyn "KK" Leddy, who is a program assistant for the Gators. Leddy was a standout for four years at North Dakota State University; Female Athlete of the Year, Summit League Pitcher of the Year, and had a coaching stint at the University of North Florida.
Against Missouri, the Gators (46-12) blasted their way past the Tigers (43-15) with five of the six runs scoring via the home run and freshman right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock (26-6) turned in her second consecutive complete-game performance in the circle to secure the victory. Rothrock held Missouri to just six hits over seven innings and allowed only two walks compared to her six strikeouts.
Florida took the lead in the bottom of the second inning 3-0 to open the scoring. The inning started with Reagan Walsh reaching on an infield error but was retired at second on a fielder's choice on Ava Brown's shot that fell in shallow center field. Brown was retired at second on Katie Kistler's fielder's choice to second, but Ariel Kowalewski kept the inning alive with a full-count walk off Lauren Krings (13-8).
Mia Williams cleared the bases in the next at-bat with her second home run of the tournament that traveled 296 feet over Auburn's scoreboard.
Missouri attempted to respond in the top of the third inning with a pair of one-out singles that put a pair of runners on base. Leadoff batter Jenna Laird then sent a shot to deep center field, but junior Kendra Falby flashed her speed and saved at least a pair of runs with an over-the-shoulder catch at the wall for the second out. Rothrock forced a flyout to Kistler in the right to end the frame and get out of the jam.
The Gators tacked on to their lead in the bottom of the third inning and pushed it out to 4-0 when Otis ripped her team-leading fifth triple of the season to lead off the frame. Skylar Wallace drove in Otis in the following at-bat on a grounder to second base.
UF went on to extend its lead out to 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Falby started the rally with a single to left field, which was also bobbled, allowing her to reach second base. Otis dropped a SAC but to move Falby to third, but she had no trouble scoring as Wallace launched her third home run of the tournament over the center field wall during the ensuing at-bat.
Rothrock and the Gators settled in on defense and the Tigers to just one hit over the final two frames. In the seventh, Missouri was able to draw a hit-by-pitch and walk, but first baseman Avery Goelz secure the victory and shut down the rally when she snagged a line drive headed to her left and tagged the bag at first to end the game.
The Gators will now wait to find out their placement in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship bracket during the Selection Show that will air live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.