No. 3 Florida wins rubber match over No. 5 Texas A&M
No. 3 Florida took a back-and-forth battle with No. 5 Texas A&M, beating the Aggies 4-2 to win the SEC opening series in College Station.
Two of the top teams in the country went punch for punch with the series on the line. Emiley Kennedy and Katelynn Oxley squared off once again.
Kennedy started off very well in the first inning with a flawless frame. Although she ran into trouble in the second. Jocelyn Erickson annihilated a solo home run against the lefty. Kennedy then walked the bases loaded, but left them there after striking out Kendra Falby.
Kennedy, who walked seven batters, faced Falby again in the fourth with the bases juiced. Falby won the battle this time and made Kennedy pay for a pair of free passes. She lined a ball over the leaping Koko Wooley to give the Gators the lead again. Although Texas A&M left fielder Kramer Eschete limited the damage by throwing out pinch runner Kylie Shaw, who fell trying to score from second base.
Texas A&M answered right back in the bottom half of the inning after KK Dement hit a solo home run against Oxley. Olivia Johnson, who hit a RBI double earlier in the game, nearly hit one out as well but Falby was able to grab it at the warning track.
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Mia Williams continued her breakout season. Her ninth home run of the season gave Florida a 3-2 lead. The Florida second baseman battled with Kennedy before lifting the go-ahead blast on a full count.
Kara Hammock relieved Oxley and gave the Gators what they needed. Hammock retired the first eight batters she faced with the help of a web gem from Falby. She walked two batters, bringing the game-winning run to the plate. Kennedy Powell flared up to left field that Otis was able to snag to close out the game.
Florida heads back home to take on UCF, which just took a series in Tucson against Arizona, and its series against top-ranked Texas. Texas A&M, however, will attempt to bounce back as the Aggies hit the road to head to Auburn next weekend.
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