SB: Gators Dismantle Eagles and Ramblers in Day One of Bubly Invitational
Photo by Brian Fox | ChompTalk

The No. 16 Florida Gators provided nothing but enjoyment for their fans Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

They added on wins against the Georgia Southern Eagles and Loyola University Ramblers on the first day of the Bubly Invitational hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Freshmen pitching duo Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown continued their impressive starts to their collegiate careers.

Rothrock started her second game in a row but didn’t look it.

She was on point as she pitched a complete-game shutout to propel the Gators to their seventh win this season. Rothrock earned her third win with eight strikeouts, two walks and two hits through six innings.

The offensive momentum continued for the Gators. Three players hit home runs in the first game of the two. Reagan Walsh and Jocelyn Erickson hit solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Skylar Wallace went yard to tack on three and end game one on the mercy run-rule.

Kendra Falby went 4-4, Wallace went 2-3 and Erickson went 2-2.

Brown ran into trouble early when she loaded the bases in the first inning. Solid defense and a strike out ended the inning with no runs on the board. Brown totaled five strikeouts, three hits, one run and two walks.

She gave up a solo shot in the second but settled in after that to earn her fourth win.

A big first inning resulted in the Gators scoring five runs off the Ramblers early. A mix of poor defensive play and quality swings put the Gators up 7-1 through two.

Erickson cleared the bases with a double to extend the Gators’ lead to 10-1.

She finished day one with eight RBIs with her long-awaited first home run of the season.

The Gators are back in action Saturday against College of Charleston and Georgia Southern. Because of weather, first pitch times have been moved to 10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.

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