FINAL: Baylor 5, Florida 2 – Florida Gators

WHAT HAPPENED: Baylor first baseman Shaylon Govan blasted a three-run, tone-setting homer in the first inning, pitcher RyLee Crandall held the high-powered Florida offense to just five hits and the Bears evened the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional best-of-three series at a game a piece Saturday with a 4-2 victory at Pressly Stadium. The loss snapped the Gators’ 12-game winning streak and was their first defeat since the second game of their Southeastern Conference series at Georgia on April 27. The Bears used the three-run first to chase UF freshman pitcher Keagan Rothrock, who’d started the previous nine games and had not lost a decision in six weeks. A day after limiting Baylor to just three hits in a 4-2 win in Game 1, Rothrock (29-7) lasted only 12 pitches after walking leadoff hitter Emily Holt, giving up a single to Presleigh Pilon, then the three-run shot by Govan that had the Gators playing from behind the rest of the way. UF got a run back in its second on a solo homer from Reagan Walsh, but the Bears answered with a couple singles and wild pitch from Gators reliever Ava Brown to make it 4-1 in the second. The Gators cut the lead to 4-2 on a Skylar Wallace RBI single in the fifth, but again the Bears canceled that out with a big insurance run in the sixth when they loaded the bases with one down and got a sacrifice fly from Hott for the 5-2 lead. That was plenty for Crandall (17-8), who pitched to below her 3.10 earned-run average. Wallace went 3-for-3 from the No. 3 spot in the UF order, but the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 spots — Kendra Falby (.384 coming into the game), Korbe Otis (.463, fourth in the nation) and SEC RBI leader Jocelyn Erickson (.392), respectively — combined to go 0-for-9 with three strikeouts. After Wallace’s perfect day in three trips to the plate, the Gators went a combined 2-for-23 (that’s .087). Their combined six runs in the series are their fewest in back-to-back games since scoring five April 13-14 at Missouri. The Bears, one of just two unseeded teams that reached the Super regional round of 16, came into the game with a combined record of 0-10 record against the top-four seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Florida. They’re now 1-10 with a big one Sunday (read on). 

PLAY OF THE GAME: Govan’s three-run homer in the bottom of the first had the Gators chasing runs for their final 18 outs. Along the way, they definitely were pressing at the plate.  

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Wallace just continues to amaze. She is now 16-for-21 in the postseason (.761), with 11 runs scored and 16 RBI. She needed some help Saturday. 

STAGGERING STATISTIC: For the last three seasons, Falby’s hitting and reaching base from the top of the order have been the biggest key to the Gators’ success. Right now, though, the junior center fielder is in the kind of slump Wallace had to navigate last month. In eight postseason games, Falby, after going 0-for-4 in Game 2, has just five hits in 29 at-bats (.172), with four runs scored. 

NOTABLES:

• The Gators are now 24-12 in NCAA Super Regional games and will play the if necessary third game for the seventh time in program history.

  • UF is 5-1 all-time in Super Regional game threes. The last time the program didn’t advance when playing in a game three was their first Super Regional appearance in 2007.

• Skylar Wallace went 3-for-3 and is now tied with Kendra Falby for the team lead in multi-hit games with 26 on the year.

  • Wallace is now 4-for-5 in the Super Regional with a run scored, an RBI, a walk and two stolen bases.

• Reagan Walsh hit her team-leading 17^th home run this season.

QUOTEABLES: 

COACH TIM WALTON

* “Baylor just played a good game. Good defense. Good timely hitting. They did their job and played better than us.” 

* “I thought we swung the bat about the same today as we did yesterday. Top of the ball. Not a lot of line-drive barrels as we needed. They made all the defensive plays, and you give them credit. We just have to do a better job.” 

 

SKYLAR WALLACE 

* “Whoever they pitch tomorrow, I think we just have to make good adjustments with our at-bats. I feel Crandall pitched a really good game. I feel like we got out of our mindset and approaches a little bit. We were chasing a little bit and not making her throw to our zones. [Sunday], whoever it is, we have to be really good in the box. We have to be super-selective when they throw over the plate. When they throw strikes, we have to hit strikes. Just keeping it super simple and getting after it.” 

* “This team has a lot left in the tank. I think we got a little shook. We got away from who we are as Gators. We just didn’t play our best ball and they did a better job in scoring position with runners on. The three-run bomb at the beginning didn’t help, but that happens. It’s softball. It’s a game of failures. We just have to bounce back better. I think it was a good little shake for us and just know [Sunday] we’re going to get after it, trust in each other and dive into plays.”

UP NEXT: Florida (50-13) and Baylor (36-22) will meet in their Game 3 elimination date Sunday at 2 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City next week. The Gators are 10-2 all-time in home Super regionals, including 3-0 when the series has gone to a third game.