{"id":1654,"date":"2026-05-24T23:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T23:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1654"},"modified":"2026-05-24T23:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T23:34:21","slug":"gators-overwhelmed-by-texas-tech-power-surge-in-emotional-super-regional-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1654","title":{"rendered":"Gators overwhelmed by Texas Tech power surge in emotional Super Regional loss"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GAINESVILLE \u2014 Florida\u2019s bid for another trip to the Women\u2019s College World Series ended with a first for coach Tim Walton and his Gators \u2014 along with some NCAA softball tournament history.<\/p>\n

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Texas Tech\u2019s 16-7 win Sunday marked the first time Florida (52-12) has been run-ruled during NCAA postseason play, ending the Gators\u2019 pursuit of a 13th WCWS appearance under Walton.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost, shoot. I hate it more than anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe played our butts off. I\u2019ve seen a lot of teams fold early. We just didn\u2019t have enough left.\u201d<\/p>\n

A series that shaped up to be a pitchers\u2019 due \u2014 featuring Florida\u2019s Keegan Rothrock and Texas Tech All-American NiJaree Canady \u2014 instead featured a winner-take-all slugfest of a game with seven combined home runs, including five by the Red Raiders (57-6).<\/p>\n

Both teams came out swinging. Each team scored seven runs through two innings \u2014 the first time that has happened in NCAA Tournament history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you get when it\u2019s postseason, and when one team\u2019s gonna go home,\u201d Florida senior Jocelyn Erickson said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s gonna give what they got.\u201d<\/p>\n

The loss also marked another first for Walton, who entered Sunday with a perfect 6-0 record in Super Regional Game 3s in Gainesville.<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old coach didn\u2019t get a chance to see that streak end.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Walton was ejected by the home plate umpire Paul Edds in the bottom of a fifth inning featuring five Texas Tech walks, two leading to runs off reliever Allison Sparkman \u2014 one of four Florida pitchers Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really say anything. He just chucked me,\u201d Walton said. \u201cI said something afterwards. \u2018Come on, you better be better than that. Go back to your dugout. You go back there.\u2019 And he threw me out \u2014 no warning, no nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been thrown out like that before without a warning, so that was a little surprising to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

By then, the outcome appeared decided.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

With the score tied 7-7, the Red Raiders opened the third inning with a solo home run by Taylor Pannell, ending the day for Rothrock (30-7), one day after she threw a complete game in the Gators\u2019 10-2 win.<\/p>\n

Freshman reliever Leah Stevens struck out Canady before allowing a single, and then struck out former Gator Mia Williams. But after an error by shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan put two runners on base, Jackie Lis launched a three-run homer \u2014 her second of the game \u2014 to center field for an 11-7 lead.<\/p>\n

Stevens exited an inning later after Pannell\u2019s second homer pushed Texas Tech\u2019s advantage to 13-7.<\/p>\n

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Sparkman retired her first four batters before issuing three consecutive walks in the fifth inning. Lauren Allred later reached on an error to load the bases.<\/p>\n

Pannell drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 15-7, and another walk to Canady produced the game\u2019s final run. This led Walton to send out Florida\u2019s fourth pitcher, sophomore Katelynn Oxley \u2014 who yielded the game-winning home run to Williams on Friday during Texas Tech\u2019s 10-8 win.<\/p>\n

Williams homered earlier Sunday, following a two-hour, 21-minute delay.<\/p>\n

Before the delay, Florida answered Texas Tech\u2019s three-run first inning with four runs of its own, capped by Cahalan\u2019s two-run shot to left-center field.<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 two-run homer \u2014 her 24th of the season after transferring to Texas Tech \u2014 and another blast from Lis gave the Red Raiders a 5-4 lead. During the inning, Williams\u2019 father, former Florida basketball star Jason Williams, taunted the Florida dugout and performed the Gator chomp.<\/p>\n

Walton said he was puzzled by the exchange, which may have stemmed from Mia Williams being hit by a pitch five times across three days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea where that came from,\u201d Walton said. \u201cThere\u2019s no place for that. I don\u2019t think that that\u2019s fair to the kids in both dugouts. There\u2019s never been a problem ever. Kids transfer all the time. She had a great weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody was trying to hit her on purpose. I don\u2019t understand the drama. I\u2019m very disappointed in that, but that had nothing to do with the softball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Tech\u2019s bats stayed hot while Florida failed to capitalize on opportunities.<\/p>\n

Trailing 13-7 in the fourth inning, the Gators loaded the bases as Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco alternated between star pitchers Teagan Kavan and Canady. When Canady struck out Kendall Grover to end the inning, she slammed her protective mask to the ground and yelled in celebration during the emotionally charged matchup.<\/p>\n

After the game, Florida players headed directly to the locker room without participating in the traditional postgame handshake line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what happened. Obviously I was gone,\u201d Walton said. \u201cMaybe that was for the better, with just the anxiety. On TV, they\u2019re saying this might be a bench-clearing brawl. Never seen a bench-clearing brawl in softball in my life, it would have been the first.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo, there you go, just stirring it up again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas Tech routs Florida 16-7 to end the Gators\u2019 WCWS bid in a historic, emotional Super Regional Game 3 finale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nGators overwhelmed by Texas Tech power surge in emotional Super Regional loss - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1654\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gators overwhelmed by Texas Tech power surge in emotional Super Regional loss - 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