The Gators saw their 2023 season come to an end Sunday in Palo Alto, California, after they lost 11-2 to No. 9 Stanford in the NCAA Regional finals.
Friday Box Score
Loyola Marymount: 2 / 5 / 0
Florida: 3 / 8 / 1
Florida opened the weekend with a one-run victory Friday over Loyola Marymount (CA) thanks to a seventh-inning comeback. Down 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, Florida catcher Sarah Longley led off with a solo shot โ her seventh this year โ to tie the game before right fielder Pal Egan hit a walk-off single up the middle.
Senior southpaw Rylee Trlicek recorded the last eight outs for Florida en route to earning her 14th win this season.
Saturday Game 1 Box Score
Florida: 0 / 2 / 2
Stanford: 8 / 7 / 0
After advancing to the winner’s bracket, the Gators came back to earth with a run-rule loss against the regional host. Half of Florida’s 18 outs were strikeouts as shortstop Skylar Wallace and center fielder Kendra Falby produced the only hits against Stanford freshman NiJaree Canady โ who dealt a complete-game shutout. Florida right-hander Elizabeth Hightower picked up the loss after she gave up five earned runs in only three innings.
Saturday Game 2 Box Score
Florida: 10 / 11 / 0
Loyola Marymount: 6 / 7 / 1
In a must-win matchup, the Gators prevailed against Loyola Marymount Saturday to advance to regional final. Florida hopped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings before cleanup hitter Reagan Walsh’s two-run bomb in the top of the fourth extended the lead to seven runs. In the next two innings, left fielder Katie Kistler and third baseman Charla Echols each went yard to provide insurance runs for the Gators.
Trlicek started in the circle and hurled a complete game to finish the season tied with Hightower for the most wins on the team (15). After yielding only one run through the first five frames, Trlicek gave up five runs on three homers in the last two innings to cut Florida’s lead.
Sunday Game 2 Box Score
Stanford: 11 / 11 / 0
Florida: 2 / 7 / 1
Florida opened a 2-1 lead in the first inning, but the Cardinal responded with a pair of runs in the third before they plated four more runs in the fifth and seventh innings.
Echols and Walsh drove in Wallace and Falby, but the Gators stranded two baserunners in each of the next three innings en route to laying six goose eggs to end the season. Trlicek picked up the loss to finish the season 15-6, but Hightower and sophomore right-hander Lexie Delbrey both allowed four runs to cap off a rough day for Florida in the circle.